Lots of Work Remains to Be Done in Plantation Moratorium

One year after the implementation of the oil palm moratorium, much work remains to be done, as the oil palm plantation area is estimated to reach 16.3 million hectares throughout Indonesia.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

A participant asks a question at a discussion with the theme "A Year of the Oil Palm Moratorium, Intensification Without Expansion" is held by Kompas and WWF at Santika Hotel, Jakarta, Thursday (10/10/2019). Speakers included the executive director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association Mukti Sardjono and Prabianto Mukti (right), an assistant to the undersecretary for forestry management at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister. The discussion was also attended by Kompas daily deputy chief editor Mohammad Bakir.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Data collected and processed by a number of ministries/institutions show that oil palm plantation areas of Indonesia total 16,381,959 hectares. However, one year after the implementation of the Presidential instruction on the oil palm moratorium, there is no data on the number of licenses or license holders, nor on the type of plantations. Various licensing data, which is mostly in the hands of local governments, is still being collected.

Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2018 on the postponement and evaluation of oil palm plantation licensing and productivity improvements has not yet addressed the settlement of various alleged violations and the continuity of oil palm plantations built in forest areas.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

A discussion with the theme "A Year of the Oil Palm Moratorium, Intensification Without Expansion" is held by Kompas and WWF at Santika Hotel, Jakarta, Thursday (10/10/2019). Speakers included the executive director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association Mukti Sardjono and Prabianto Mukti (right), an assistant to the undersecretary for forestry management at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister. The discussion was also attended by Kompas daily deputy chief editor Mohammad Bakir.

Conflicting ministerial regulations frequently hamper the quest for solutions. An assistant to the undersecretary for forestry management at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, who also chairs the Palm Oil Presidential Instruction Team, Prabianto Mukti, said in Jakarta Thursday (10/10/2019) that the government continued to work on the implementation of the moratorium, which would remain in place for two more years.

"The government continues to reconcile national oil palm plantation maps. This is necessary to integrate the data in the One Map Policy, which will be the basis for decision-making related to oil palm plantations," Prabianto said at a discussion titled "A Year of the Oil Palm Moratorium, Intensification Without Expansion", which was organized by WWF-Indonesia and Kompas daily.

KOMPAS/SYAHNAN RANGKUTI

A worker of PT Ramajaya Pramukti transports freshly harvested palm fruit bunches in Siak regency, Riau, on Wednesday (2/10/2019). With increasing age of the trees, the bunches usually get bigger and very hard for humans to carry as they can reach a weight of up to 50 kilograms.

Other speakers at the discussion were the director of plantation rejuvenation at the Agriculture Ministry, Irmijati Rachmi Nurbahar, the executive director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association, Mukti Sardjono, and communications director of the Auriga Nusantara Foundation Syahrul Fitra.

Government regulations

To synchronize regulations, Irmijati said, the government was preparing a regulation on the plantation businesses. "This government regulation deals with the licensing of plantation companies. The draft of the government regulation [includes a] harmonization of rules. It is expected to be issued this year," she said.

ANTARA FOTO/FB ANGGORO

A worker of PT Ramajaya Pramukti transports freshly harvested palm fruit bunches in Siak regency, Riau, on Wednesday (2/10/2019). With increasing age of the trees, the bunches usually get bigger and very hard for humans to carry as they can reach a weight of up to 50 kilograms.

Mukti Sardjono expressed support for government efforts to address conflicting laws and regulations, so that there would be legal certainty. He called on the government to involve business actors in drafting the government regulation as the party to execute the regulation in the field.

Syahrul Fitra of the Auriga Nusantara Foundation expressed the need for the oil palm moratorium to protect the remaining natural forests that have not yet been cleared for plantations. He presented data of his organization showing that there are 1,406,505 hectares of natural forest located within forest areas to be cleared.

(JUD/ICH)

KOMPAS/SYAHNAN RANGKUTI

Old oil palm trees stand in rows at a plantation of PT Ramajaya Pramukti in Siak regency, Riau, on Wednesday (2/10/2019). The plantation is about to be rejuvenated.