InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - Indonesia does protests to the regulation published by European Union about indirect land use change (ILUC) that was the source of EUDR (Euroupean Union Deforestation Regulation). It was summarized in complaint documents - DS593, just like what Deputy Coordinator Minister in Food and Agribusiness, Coordinator Ministry in Economy, Musdhalifah Machmud said in a webinar. EUDR tends to palm oil producer countries and many data are not accurate and only from assumptions.
Chairman of Board of Supervisors, Forum Petani Kelapa Sawit Jaya Indonesa (POPSI), Gamal Nasir said, it is better that while facing such situation, waiting for the complaint process in World Trade Organization (WTO), palm oil plantations in Indonesia need to improve. “Namely the government as the regulator,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Friday (31/3/2023).
Gamal did not deny that EUDR is a discrimination and it is good for Indonesia to complain to WTO. The smallholders would get the impacts the most. EUDR, if it really runs without seeing the real things in Indonesia, would ignore everything that Indonesia namely smallholders, have improved.
“EU should encourage to escalate obedience and legal in sustainability. Every stakeholder should implement every principle, should join, and no one should be left behind in sustainability issue,” he said.
The government should also publish policies about accurate area spatial maps, do implement closely in its association with the future palm oil development. “The government needs to confirm that every policy should run well, regulate not to do anything in high conservation value and high carbon stock (for every planter and stakeholder),” Gamal said.
He also told the government has to confirm the people’s palm oil plantations where were too late planting in forest regions through forest release policy(ies) according to the available regulations. This is a must.
“In special about Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), the government should be more serious about this. In 2025 every planter must have ISPO certificate but until now, there is no serious action to it. This managed many parties are pessimist. Act now to prepare smallholders to get ISPO until 2025,” he said.
Chairman of POPSI, Pahala Sibuea said everyone should not be emotional to face EUDR. It needs strong diplomacy only, for instance, let us say that before EUDR was inaugurated, Indonesia has been improving palm oil plantation governance to be sustainable. It started from the publication of Rencana Aksi Nasional Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan (RAN KSB) based on President’s Instruction Number 6 / 2019) and ISPO Regulation based on President’s Regulation Number 4 / 2020 and also Regulation of Minister of Agriculture Number 38 / 2020.
“It is only about the implementation – would the government and other stakeholders deliver fund? POPSI is ready to implement the regulations,” he said.
Sibuea also told, about traceability, POPSI knew that it needs to establish big data from the smallholders with the concept, by name, by address, by polygon. These would be the same with data concept when getting cultivation documents (from smallholders).
“But until now there are obstacles. Besides the fund implementation, it is about open personal data also. Many companies have no transparent data, and smallholders do to. But the show must go on. From POPSI, we are trying to publish application to realize Smallholders’ Big Data to get their map when developing them,” he said. (T2)
