Jakarta. Indonesia has greenlit Congo's full membership to the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries or CPOPC, possibly making it the first African nation to join the group that aims to unite the commodity's producers across the globe.

Senior minister Airlangga Hartarto had signed a circular letter on the approval for Congo's accession as a CPOPC full member, the government announced on Wednesday night. The letter will have to earn the signature of other members, namely Malaysia, Honduras, and Papua New Guinea.

"Congo was CPOPC's guest country and observer country before becoming a full-fledged member. Congo is set to become the first African country that earns the full membership status. Having Congo in the group will strengthen CPOPC's position on the global stage, ... and expand the organization's influence in the global palm oil market," the a press release by the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs reads.

Indonesia said it considered Congo's membership to be able to help the group address trade barriers, although Jakarta did not specifically mention which hurdles was it referring to. Even so, the CPOPC members have been critical of the European Union or EU's anti-deforestation regulation which they fear can take a toll on the Europe-bound palm oil exports. Jakarta also said that Congo's membership could "pave the way for a more inclusive palm oil industry in Africa".

Indonesia and Malaysia -- which collectively make up over 80 percent of the global palm oil supply -- founded the CPOPC in 2015. Honduras became a member to the CPOPC about three years later. Papua New Guinea was the most recent newcomer before Congo as Port Moresby joined the club in end of 2024 after formally applying in 2020.

At present, Nigeria and Ghana are observer countries to the group.

In 2023, Congo's harvested areas of palm oil span 340,000 hectares and produced 2.2 million fresh fruit bunches. The sector employs at least 54,000 palm oil workers.

Amid the expanding CPOPC group, Indonesia is currently witnessing a drop in its palm oil exports. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia exported $1.44 billion worth of crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives in January. This marked a 24.1 percent decline compared to the $1.89 billion export recorded in December 2024.