Kompas, 20 February 2019
The government needs to develop a roadmap to guide the implementation of the Presidential Instruction No.8/2018 on Moratorium and Evaluation of Oil Palm Plantation Permit and Productivity Improvement of Oil Palm Plantations, Oil Palm Farmers Union (SPKS) Chair Mansuetus Darto said in Jakarta on Tuesday (February 19). Darto argued that the presidential instruction has not yet been fully implemented. He hoped the government could take into account the interest of oil palm farmers, especially smallholders, in developing the downstream palm oil industry.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) Chair Joko Supriyono said Indonesia would be able to produce 60 million metric tons of crude palm oil (CPO) by 2025. Indonesia currently produces 43 million metric tons of CPO annually. He also said that the implementation of the mandatory biodiesel blend program needs support from technical and commercial studies. Nevertheless, palm oil producers are ready to meet the domestic biodiesel demand.