Toothpaste without palm oil

Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia's trade surplus hit a record high in April, surpassing its peak in last October amid soaring global commodity prices that boosted exports. The National Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on May 17 that Indonesia had registered a surplus for the 24th consecutive month in April, which had more than tripled to 7.56 billion USD year on year and increased 66 percent month on month. Economists forecast that Indonesia will benefit from rising in global commodity prices due to the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as revenues from the exports of crude palm oil (CPO), coal, and metal ores are higher than the increase in imports. According to BPS, Indonesia ’s exports reached 27.32 billion USD in April, up 47.76 percent year on year. The mining industry had the strongest export growth, almost doubling year on year to 6.41 billion USD.  Meanwhile imports rose 21 percent to 19 billion USD. China remained Indonesia's top export destination, … [Read more...] about Indonesia enjoys largest trade surplus in history in April

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) last week again warned that the ocean is faced with increasing threats and multiple risks posed by climate change, natural disasters, environmental pollution, over-exploitation of natural resources, and unsustainable economic activities. “Global warming and marine litter are threatening marine resources, including widespread bleaching of coral reefs. Globally, an estimated 8-20 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. In Vietnam, around 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste leaks from the country into the ocean every day. It is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050,” said Caitlin Wiesen, resident representative in Vietnam of the UNDP. The global ocean economy contributes an estimated $3 trillion per year, or about 5 per cent of the world’s GDP and comprises industries ranging from oil and gas, shipping and ports to renewable energy, fisheries, marine ecosystems and tourism. The value of the … [Read more...] about Blue economy model gathering pace