JAKARTA – Oil Palm growers have been very often blamed as the cause of forest and land fires (Karhutla). The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) denied such accusation, saying that it is certainly baseless.
Gapki’s Communication Division Head Tofan Mahdi said that it is impossible for the palm oil companies to clear lands for plantations by burning. It is a clear violation of prevailing laws in this country and the perpetrators of such crime are subject to severe punishment.
“Whether it is criminal or civil case, such a violation can be fined up to trillions of rupiah. Even the companies that commit such violation can be closed,” he told the participants of the 6th congress of the association of Indonesian television journalists (IJTI) on Friday, 29 October 2021.
According to him, the prevailing regulations have clearly banned the practices of clearing lands by burning. The palm oil companies grouped in Gapki are committed to implementing all necessary steps to tackle the problems of Karhutla.
“All palm oil companies that are members of Gapki are strongly committed to implementing the zero burning policy. So, the palm oil companies will never resort to burning when they need to clear lands for plantations,” he said.
Regarding efforts to accelerate the development of sustainable palm oil, the government has issued the presidential regulation (Perpres) No.44/2020 on Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO). “This regulation requires all palm oil players to get ISPO certificates,” he said.
By getting the ISPO certificates, the palm oil players have been proven to have implemented the principles of sustainability. “Of around 3,000 palm oil companies, around 750 member companies of Gapki have the commitment to get the ISPO certificates this year. It is our commitment to the environment,” he asserted. (*)
Source: Sindonews.com | Featured image via phys.org
