Concrete Proof Needed to Fight Black Campaign

KOMPAS/ICHWAN SUSANTO

Adrian, a visitor from Indonesia, looks at oil palm fruits from superior seeds produced by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) at the International Palm Oil Congress and Exhibition (PIPOC 2019) in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Malaysia, on November 19 (19/11/2019). Certified or guaranteed superior seeds are needed because they are the initial capital for increasing the productivity of oil palm plantations. Until now, Indonesia’s oil palm productivity is still relatively low compared to Malaysia’s and even lower than Thailand’s. Increasing productivity and processing efficiency are requirements for increasing production without expanding on land, which would have high environmental and social risks.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian government will need to show concrete proof to back its claims that products from the country’s palm oil plantations and industry are sustainable. It must prove that it has resolved oil palm issues related to social conflicts, forested areas, deforestation and the use of land with high conservation value.

Indonesia placed a moratorium on palm oil production through Presidential Instruction No. 8/2018 on the postponement of permit issuance and evaluating increased productivity at oil palm plantations. One year later, much work remains to be done to fulfill the tasks the President had assigned to government officials.

A call has also been made to urge the President to evaluate the officials’ work and actively gather reports from subordinates. Presidential Instruction No. 8/2018 stipulates that regular reports must be submitted to the President every six months.

Sawit Watch deputy director Ahmad Surambo and Greenpeace Indonesia global forest campaign head Kiki Taufik made these points separately in Jakarta on Wednesday (20/11/2019).

KOMPAS/SYAHNAN RANGKUTI

A worker of PT Ramajaya Pramukti carries fresh palm fruit bunches that have just been harvested on Oct. 2 (2/10/2019). The older the tree, the bigger the bunches, weighing 40-50 kilograms.

They were responding to a request for comments in the wake of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad’s call to palm oil producers to fight back against the “black campaign”. Mahathir made the call while opening the International Palm Oil Congress and Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur (Kompas, 20/11).

Surambo said that, without visible and measurable proof, the efforts to improve the image of palm oil through informational and “white” campaigns would only end in slogans and jargon. “Improvement is key. Indonesia’s image as a palm oil producer striving to make improvements can be evidenced through the moratorium on palm oil, among other steps,” he said.

Improvements

However, no visible improvements were made during the first year of the moratorium, which ends in 2021. Efforts to resolve the cultivation of oil palm in forested areas without release permits (ijin pelepasan) were hampered. Surambo cited the case of Padang Lawas in North Sumatra, which continued to operate despite the declaration that it was illegal.

“If such things remain rampant, how can we convince the international community on sustainability?” said Surambo.

Data at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Ministry shows that 3,177,104 hectares of oil palm plantations are operating in forested areas without release permits.

The Mandatory Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil certification still faced opposition.

Surambo said that minimal efforts had been made in improving sustainability by increasing productivity without expanding plantations, especially among smallholder farmers. Plantation rejuvenation at 2.4 million hectares of plantations was intermittent. The Mandatory Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil certification still faced opposition.

Taufik said that Greenpeace Indonesia had been urging sustainable palm oil production from the outset, including through its No Deforestation, No Peat Development and No Exploitation (NDPE) program. No Deforestation calls for the production of palm oil without deforesting areas with high conservation value; No Peat Development urges that oil palms are not cultivated on peatlands; and No Exploitation calls for the protection of public and customary rights against palm oil-related violations.

“If the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia [the world’s two largest palm oil producers] wish to fight the black campaign, they should provide evidence that they have a clean supply chain and do not engage in deforestation,” said Taufik. (ICH)