PALANGKARAYA – Economic Coordinating Minister Airlangga Hartarto asked the local governments to keep monitoring the palm oil industries, especially in implementing the principles of sustainability and in improving the public welfare in their respective regions.
Addressing the opening ceremony of Borneo Forum V in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan on Wednesday, Minister Airlangga said that the palm oil industries play a significant role in Indonesian economy, as it contributes significantly to the state income, creates many new centers of growth in regions and a lot of job opportunities.
“We need to increase our palm oil exports as the commodity price is now high at the global market. But we should avoid just exporting the unprocessed palm oil by continually increasing the added value of our palm oil,” Minister Airlangga said.
He underlined the importance of improving the palm oil sustainability and ensuring that it is always in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN). “We’ve realized it through the certification of Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), action plan on palm oil sustainability (RAN KSB), and the implementation of replanting programs for smallholders’ oil palm plantations,” said Airlangga.
He asked the heads of local administrations to keep monitoring the activities of palm oil industrial players and provide legal certainty for them to do their palm oil businesses in their respective regions. “The local governments should facilitate the palm oil businesses in their respective regions, including in solving land and social problems,” he said.
During the occasion, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association’s (GAPKI) Secretary General Eddy Martono said that considering the important role of palm oil industries at national and regional levels, the palm oil industrial players hope the central and local governments will continue supporting the palm oil industries by creating conducive condition for the industries and help countering the negative campaigns against the palm oil.
He said that the issuance of the law on financial relations between central and local governments (HKPD), especially on palm oil income sharing, will further improve the local economies of palm oil producing areas. “It will improve the public welfare in the palm oil producing regions. We’re waiting for the issuance of implementing regulations of the law, which include government regulation and regional regulations,” added Eddy Martono. (*)
Source: sawitindonesia.com | Featured image via rspo.org
