Breaking News-RTRS-INTERVIEW-"Green" palm planters struggling to find buyers

JAKARTA, May 27 (Reuters) - Palm oil planters in the world's top two producers Indonesia and Malaysia are struggling to find buyers for their eco-friendly palm oil, an industry official said on Wednesday, threatening to slow momentum.
Under fire from green groups and some Western consumers, the palm oil industry established the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004 to develop an ethical certification system that includes commitments to preserve rainforests and wildlife.
"As for demand, the volume that is currently available versus the offtake, there is a mismatch," Vengeta Rao, secretary general of the RSPO, said on the sidelines of a palm oil conference.
He said the industry had so far sold only 15,000 tonnes of certified greed palm oil since the first shipment last November while output might have reached around 600,000 tonnes.