HUNDREDS of participants of the Indonesian Crude Palm Oil Conference which was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, early this month, were taken aback when John Baker, a food and agribusiness analyst from Rabobank International, referred to the prospect of Indonesia's palm oil exports to America as "a big question mark."

"Indonesia, which produces more than Malaysia, should have been more expansive in penetrating the American market," Baker told the conference. He