Askasindo Calls Prabowo's Idea About The Addition Of Palm Oil In Indonesia Must Be Guarded Together

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Central Leadership Council of the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (DPP Apkasindo) Gulat Manurung said as many as 17 million farmers supported President Prabowo Subianto's idea of palm oil that must be jointly guarded.

For your information, Prabowo's statement regarding the addition of oil palm planting was conveyed at the National Development Planning Deliberation for the Implementation of the National Medium-Term Development Plan (Musrenbangnas RPJMN) 2025-2029.

"Apkasindo appreciates President Prabowo for the palm oil policy. 17 million families of oil palm farmers from Aceh to Papua provide full support," said Gulat as reported by ANTARA, Monday, January 6.

According to Wrestling, palm oil is a gift from God to Indonesia.

Other countries long for palm oil to grow in their country with various environmental modifications, but their productivity is far below the economics.

"So the award should be Indonesia's bargaining power to the world," he said.

According to him, the fact is that so far, anyone is too free to corner palm oil without any strong regulatory protection against palm oil strategic commodities.

"So we oil palm farmers are very proud and touched by the President's speech," said Gulat.

Wrestling said the president's directive regarding opening a new palm oil plantation should be read in a broad sense for palm oil productivity.

Where, to increase palm oil productivity can be done in two ways.

First, replanting or rejuvenation of people's palm oil (PSR) which is known for its intensification or upstreaming. The replanting policy can make people's palm oil productivity increase 3-4 times.

Second, the strategy of extensification or increasing the area of oil palm land. According to him, this hope is very wide open considering that the Indonesian forest is still much wider above the minimum standard (forest vs non-forest).

However, Wrestling recommends optimizing more degraded or abandoned land, former mining or claims for forest areas that are no longer forested as recommended by the 2023 IPB Faculty of Forestry and Environment research results.

On the other hand, President of the Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) Bustal Arifin revealed that the ministers of the Red and White Cabinet must work hard to translate the President's directives regarding plans to add oil palm head land.

If later it becomes a national policy, he hopes that all components of the nation will oversee together by prioritizing the principle of sustainability.

He said that so far based on the National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJM) there has been no additional palm oil as stated by President Prabowo.

Therefore, if later President Prabowo's plan is to be implemented, there needs to be a new policy.

"Because after all, the finalization of the activity (accretion of oil palm) is in the policy. If there will be a new policy, later we really need to guard it the same," said Bustatul.

Regarding the question of whether palm oil is indeed a contributor to the rate of deforestation, Bustanul asked to think about the consequences well.

He explained, if there is a change in the utilization from forest to palm oil, there must be a change in the ability to reduce and store carbon.

Forest plants are certain to have higher capture power and carbon storage power than palm oil plants. In fact, forests also have less carbon depletion than palm oil.

"From there, experts examine it to the best of details, if there is a change in forests to palm oil, there must be a reforestation or affirmation that must be added. So there is compensation, if there is a change there is a reduction," said Bustanul.

He did not agree if he really did forest clearing to be planted with palm oil without any compensation efforts above. Likewise the clearing of land on peatlands.

"On peatlands will definitely cause new carbon emissions, while at the same time we sign a commitment to reduce climate change," he explained.

Deforestation is a process of replanting trees on land that have previously been stripped or degraded.

Aphorestasi adalah pembentuhan hutan atau penegakan pohon di area yang sebelumnya bukan hutan.

So far, Indonesia has applied the principles of sustainable development in the palm oil industry. For example, for world standards, Indonesia has followed the Rountable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

In fact, domestically, Indonesia is also implementing the Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO). And this has received appreciation from the international community.

Regarding the obstacles to the entry of Indonesian palm oil head products into Europe, he admitted, it has become a common secret.

They are worried that Indonesian palm oil products will threaten their products such as sunflower oil and canola oil.

"We are implementing a deforestation rule, namely the EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation) which was postponed for a year because it was protested by the United States. Is Indonesia silent? No," he said.

According to him, there is a task force team that is currently preparing various things in detail starting from definition of deforestation and others. They have discussed with Malaysia and also the European Union.

"It's true that our palm market share in Europe is not too big, 12 percent, not up to 20 percent. But Europe is a trendsetter. If Europe has participated in banning the entry of our goods or the production of our bio fuel there, I'm worried that other countries will join in," he said.

For this reason, he suggested that in addition to competitiveness, the ability to diplomacy in oil palm positive campaigns must continue.