InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – In the official bulletin which World Health Organization (WHO) released on 8 Januariy 2019, there was a paper written by Kaanddale, S., Marten, R., and Smith, R, that is “The Palm Oil Industry and Noncommunicable Disesae”. It corners palm oil by saying, palm oil industries are the same with tobacco and alcohol industries for making the negative to the mankind and the health issue in this world.
Masyarakat Perkelapa-Sawitan Indonesia (MAKSI) as the biggest association of palm oil researchers responded the paper by running Focus Group Discussion (FGD): Palm Oil Scholars if Palm oil Industries are Equalized with Tobacco and Alcohol industries, to study more and decide the action to the paper.
In the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Monday (28/1/2019), the FGD was held in Hotel Grand Tjokro, Yogyakarta on 25 – 26 January 2019 and invited 40 palm oil researchers whole over Indonesia within the full support from Palm oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA), and Ministry of Finance.
In the discussion, the food expert from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Prof. DR. Ir. Sri Raharjo, M.Sc., discussed the paper scientifically and systematically. There are many unbalanced info to provide secondary data. Besides, the conclusion of the paper is not adjusted with the goal of the research told and written in the first chapter of the paper.
The same with Prof. Sri Raharjo, Executive Secretary of SEAFAST Center LPPM, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), DR. Puspo Edi Giriwono said, the paper did not prioritize the balance information about palm oil and it is the opposite to the latest findings. Its target is not the solution but it wants to make image that palm oil is the source of infectious disease.
In the end of the discussion, the palm oil scholars which consisted of academy, researchers in palm oil coordinated by MAKSI agreed that the article published in the bulletin of WHO IS NOT the study done by WHO, and NOT the policy or official statement from WHO. Besides, the publisher of the paper (WHO) mentioned that WHO is never responsible on the content in the paper.
The scholars of palm oil in Indonesia agreed to reject if palm oil industries are the same with tobacco and alcohol industries by considering that the paper was written by not using the balanced data between the positive and the negative facts from palm oil industrialization. MAKSI also concerns and supports every stakeholder to succeed sustainable palm oil industries.
Chairman of MAKSI , DR.Darmono Taniwiryono took every researcher in palm oil in Indonesia to write more in the international journals, such as, IJOP (International Journal of Oil Palm) that MAKSI manages to reveal the real facts of palm oil. (T2)
