The Palm Oil Farmers Union (SPKS) is hailing the government’s decision to drop an export levy for the commodity but said that the fund gathered from the levy was heavily in favor of benefiting the biodiesel industry, and not the smallholders.
Despite the efforts and hard work of many in the Indonesian palm oil industry to make sustainability a norm, this major Indonesian commodity continues to become the target of incessant attacks and accusations from many corners, being labeled as a destroyer of the environment and especially forests.
The number of stakeholders of the Indonesian palm oil industry is warning of the high risk of layoffs following almost a year of weak world palm oil prices, others remained adamant that the current situation was not yet that bad.
Indonesian palm oil farmers are calling on the government to reduce the export levy on palm oil exports and derivative products as the price o the commodity in world markets continued to weaken, causing suffering for the farmers.
Banks and investors in Southeast Asia are slow to get on the bandwagon of sustainability, with most failing to understand the opportunities that are available and that they actually could play a powerful role in engaging the private sector and smallholders to go the green path.
Darrel Webber, Chief Executive Officer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) saying that incremental innovation is crucial in mainstreaming ideas in palm oil industry like any other sector at the opening of the 16th Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT16) here on Wednesday (14/11).
A new proposed Principles and Criteria for the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) carries more stringent measure regarding the planting of oil palm on peatlands, an environmental and conservation activities said here on Wednesday (14/11.)
Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s top palm oil producers which account for some 85 percent of global supply, have decided not to take part in the workshop on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) held by the European Union as part of the formulation of its Renewable Energy Directive II.
The world’s largest palm oil certification scheme, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has suspended the sustainability certification of a palm oil mill and three palm oil estates belonging to a company that is majority-owned by Indonesian palm oil giant Indofood, over violation of the core principles of the International Labor Organization
The European Union Renewable Energy Directive, which has been criticized as being in contravention of international trade laws, remains open and transparent in its decision making process and also involves consultation with other stakeholders outside the union, including producers like Indonesia.