FWI’s input for the draft MOA on the Implementation of Sustainable Palm Oil Plantation Certification
On March 13, 2020, President Joko Widodo issued Presidential Regulation No. 44 of 2020 concerning the Certification System for Sustainable Palm Oil Plantations in Indonesia. Through this policy, the government tries to perfect the implementation of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Plantation Certification System, which was previously embraced by MOA 11/2015 policy on ISPO.
This Presidential Regulation is very important considering that it aims to:
1) Ensure and improve the management and development of Palm Oil Plantation in accordance with ISPO principles and criteria
2) Increase the acceptability and competitiveness of Indonesian Palm Oil Plantation products in the national and international markets;
3) Increase efforts to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
On the other hand, during the two policies related to ISPO, the number of Indonesian Palm Oil plantations has increased by 132 [1] companies. Based on FWI’s 2018 spatial analysis data, deforestation for the 2013-2017 period caused by Palm Oil plantations reached an area of 586,569 hectares or around 146,642 hectares of natural forest lost every year.
In connection with the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 44 of 2020 and its derivative regulatory plans. On May 18, 2020, a public hearing was held regarding the draft MOA on the Implementation of Certification of Sustainable Palm Oil Plantations in Indonesia. To accommodate the limited number of participants invited to the public hearing, various inputs can also be submitted in writing via email ispo.ditjenbun@gmail.com and hukmasditjenbun@gmail.com.
Based on a copy of the draft Regulation of the minister of Agriculture (Permentan) obtained by FWI on 15 May 2020, Forest Watch Indonesia has sent a letter (Number 04 / FWI / V / 2020) dated 25 May 2020, which is addressed to the Directorate General of Plantations, Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia regarding input on the draft Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture. This was done by FWI considering the previous study related to the 6 Years of ISPO (https://fwi.or.id/enam-tahun-ispo-belum-mampu-memperbaiki-tata-kelola-hutan-lahan/), Overlapping of Land and Forests Management in Indonesia (https://fwi.or.id/silang-sengkarut-pengelolaan-hutan-dan-lahan-di-indonesia/) as well as the Roadmap for Civil Society for Reform of Just Indonesian Palm Oil Plantations (https: // fwi.or.id/roadmap-masyarakat-sipil-untuk-reforma-perkebunan-sawit-indonesia-berkeadilan/) and the impact of the Palm Oil plantation sector on natural forests and indigenous peoples.
The draft MOA with attachments, Principles, Criteria and Indicators (https://fwi.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Draft-Permentan-ISPO-9-Mei-2020.pdf)
and the FWI Input Letter for the draft MOA can be accessed by clicking below
[1] The number of Palm Oil plantation companies in 2015 according to BPS was 1,599 companies, and increased to 1,731 in 2018.