Jakarta (Greeners) – To increase oil palm competitiveness, Indonesia implement Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) as minimum standard for the industry, said an official in Jakarta, on Thursday (07/06/2018).

“ISPO has been considered realistically and properly. We believe it has been thoroughly considered and we understand expectations from other parties, but we need to explain ISPO criteria clearly,” said Noer Adi Wardojo, head of Environmental and Forestry Standardization Center adding that ISPO is Indonesia’s choice to implement sustainable palm oil industry.

ISPO is established in 2009 to ensure oil palm industry comply to all agriculture standards. “Oil palm industry is make up from large plantation, processing [industry], and consumers with multiple interests, [it is] hard to take the right policy. Hence, ISPO certification as sustainable management instrument is government’s focus in oil palm industry,” said Diah Y. Suradiredja, program director of Kehati Foundation and ISPO Strengthening Team.

READ ALSO: Indonesian Scientists Develop Bioethanol from Palm Oil Waste

Based on Kehati data, oil palm plantation covers 12.3 million hectares with 1,600 plantations belong to private sector. Indonesia owns 40 oil palm processing factories and 850 mills meanwhile Malaysia owns 52 factories and 445 mills.

“During ISPO certification, only 16.6 percent out of total plantations receive certificates, which covers 346 out of 1500 unit of oil palm business people,” said Suradiredja.

Furthermore, she said that out of 4.7 million hectares of people’s oil palm plantation in 2017, only 3,631 hectares are certified ISPO or 0.08 percent out the total. Low numbers of certified people’s plantation, she said, was due to gap on administrative information to local plantations about ISPO certification.

“[Indonesia] has not achieved target of ISPO certification because of lack of stakeholder involvement to acknowledgment from international market, and main points to encourage strengthening ISPO,” she said.

Furthermore, she said that ISPO can be strengthened through certification improvement to be more independent, transparent, comprehensive and coordinated, increasing revenues in international market, and inclusive ISPO implementation, to engage stakeholders other than ministry of agriculture.

READ ALSO: Law Expert: Oil Palm Industry Management Prone To Corruption

Furthermore, CEO WWF Indonesia, Rizal Malik, said that if Indonesia is eager for oil palm industry to achieve gold standard then the standard should be RSPO or Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil as the certification consider environmentally friendly standards in its legality, in terms of production process and social aspect.

“We think that ISPO has yet to match the standards of RSPO, especially because ISPO deals more about regulation compliance. ISPO is good if you’re talking about legality however oil palm sustainability is not about legality, but also environment aspects, such as production process and its practices,” said Malik. “Then, social aspects related to people in surrounding areas. Legally, they own the concessions however, in reality, indigenous peoples are living in the areas.”

Furthermore, he said that RSPO is a voluntary association comprise of organizations in oil palm industry, including plantation, processing, distributor, manufacture, investor, academician, and environment nongovernmental organization, aiming to develop and implement global standards of sustainable oil palm production.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – As oil palm transform into strategic commodity in Indonesia’s economics, its management still presented a list of problems, starting from weak permit mechanism, monitoring and controlling lead to the sector prone to corruption, said a law expert in Jakarta, on Thursday (15/6).

Hifdzil Alim, a law expert, said that Anti Corruption Commission (KPK)’s review on oil palm industry back in 2016 revealed there was no integrated management on oil palm plantation and industry.

The current situation, Alim added, did not meet sustainable development requirements which only lead to corruption in the sector.

READ ALSO: Indonesia to Issue Presidential Instruction on Oil Palm Moratorium

From upstream, he said control system in permit issuance has yet to be accountable to ensure business’ compliance. It is shown, at least, from the absence of spatial planning based permit management. In addition, there is no one map policy scheme in issuing permits.

“Meanwhile, downstream, export’s charges control is not effective as there’s no verification system. The use for oil palm fund from Oil Palm Plantation Management Board runs out only for biodiesel subsidy,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Board since established in 2015 was tasked to manage oil palm plantation and use the funds for replanting, human resources capacity building, advocacy and research, research and development of plantation, promotion, plantation rejuvenation, and develops facilities for plantation.

“However, in practice, majority of the fund is used only for biodiesel subsidy,” he said.

READ ALSO: Environmental Watchdogs Urges Government to Issue Regulation on Oil Palm Ban

Oil Palm Farmers Union Coordinator, Mansuetus Darto, said that the Board contribution to research and development, especially capacity building for oil palm farmers, have been lacking compare to subsidy for biofuels or biodiesel.

The Board, said Darto, had spent Rp 10.6 trillion for biodiesel subsidy in 2016, or equals to 91 percent of total budget collected in the same year. Meanwhile, government regulation stated that subsidy was not main task and aim of the Oil Palm Board.

He said that 2014 Government Regulation stipulated percentage for renewable energy in national energy mix for 23 percent by 2025 and 31 percent by 2050. However, it does not mean that all funding for subsidy comes from the Oil Palm Board.

Furthermore, he said that the Board should return to its task to develop sustainable oil palm with planning and fund allocation monitoring through intermediary institution or involving association/union, central/local government, academician and NGOs.

“Next step, oil palm fund must be audited every year by public accountant and reported to public through mass media. The cooperation between The Oil Palm Board and KPK also needs to be implemented to prevent corruption on oil palm fund and better management of plantation and oil palm industry,” he said.

Report by Danny Kosasih.

Jakarta (Greeners) – After issuing forest and peatlands moratorium, the government is planning to ban new permits on oil palm and mining concessions.

On May 13, under a presidential instruction, the government ban all new permits on primary forests and peatlands areas.

“There will be oil palm moratorium and mining moratorium,” said President Jokowi at the launch of National Movement on Plants and Wild Animals protection in conjunction with World Forest Day, in Karya Island of Thousand Islands, Jakarta, on Thursday (14/4).

President Jokowi added that current oil palm plantations has been sufficient and need to increase its productivity by maximizing the potentials. Similar to mining, President would not give more permits to companies to open lands.

“Current lands, as long as planted with proper seeds, are enough. It can even double the production. If this is properly done, then it can increase productivity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tofan Mahdi, spokesman of Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), said they could not provide any comment. Mahdi stated that GAPKI continued to communicate with ministry of agriculture, ministry of environment and forestry, and presidential office, to get detailed information on the plan.

“What we can say is oil palm is strategic industry for contributing at least US$ 19 billion in 2015 which is far higher than oil and gas with only US$ 12 billion,” he added.

Furthermore, Indonesia is world’s largest crude palm oil producer with 31.5 million ton in 2015 and provide jobs for six million people, especially on rural areas.

“President Jokowi had stated that oil palm plantation is national strategic sector and must be maintained. We will monitor the development related to the president’s statement,” he said.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was reported to be facing deportation from Director General of Immigration of Legal and Human Rights Ministry, Ronny F. Sompie, a few days earlier.

It came after the immigration office suspected Leonardo was conducting black campaign attacking palm oil plantation while he visited Leuser National Park, Aceh, on Sunday (27/3).

Rudi Putra, Leuser Conservation Forum Advisor, clarified the news stating that the Best Actor of 2016 Oscar came as a tourist to the site.

DiCaprio went to see elephants in East Aceh, orangutan quarantine in North Sumatra and Ketambe Research Station in Southeast Aceh.

“He did not go to other places. Only those places,” said Rudi who accompanied Dicaprio during his short visit to the national park.

On black campaign against palm oil companies, Rudi argued that it was public knowledge that oil palm plantations expansions have been ravaging what’s left of Indonesian forests.

The evidences, he added, can be seen in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua where forests have been converted into oil palm plantation, either legally or illegally.

“The government cannot hide that fact. It is not just Leonardo but lots of people have been voicing the same concern. This is not black campaign but it is what happens,” he said.

Furthermore, Rudi underlined that it did not mean that they were anti oil palm. However, people, NGOs, and Leonardo hoped that oil palm would not destroy forest and its ecosystems. The situation, he added, was critical in Leuser National Park and needed to be saved.

“I don’t know what the government official is thinking. To compare oil palm against other vegetable oils is not even worth the try. I think with abundant production, Indonesia can start build the industry not instead of land expansion to fulfill CPO export,” he said.

Previously, Ronny F Sompie stated that Leonardo DiCaprio had issued statement which discredited Indonesia’s government and subjected to be deported as he was still in the country and the immigration had the right to deport him.

Ronny said that the deportation was in accordance with the 2011 Law on Immigration.

DiCaprio arrived at Kualanamu Airport from Japan, on Saturday (26/3), around 6.45 am using private jet. At 10 am, DiCaprio and his group flew to Leuser National Park with helicopter. He returned to Medan and stayed at JW Marriott Hotel. At 5.05 pm, the group left Kualanamu Airport for Palau.

On his Instagram account, DiCaprio wrote his disappointment with oil palm plantation expansion resulted in forest damages and threatened endangered animals existence, such as Sumatran elephant.

His statement received protest from Acehnese oil palm bussinesman, Asmar Arsyad.

“Leonardo hit the wrong target. He ought to campaign for environment in the Amazon forest against soy plantation,” he said.

Report by Danny Kosasih