Jakarta – The association of oil palm farmers (SPKS) will help accelerate the sustainability certification of oil palm smallholders in Indonesia. SPKS Secretary General Mansuetus Darto said that the SPKS is fully committed to supporting the acceleration of certification of sustainable palm oil in Indonesia and the improvement of plantation governance among the small-scale oil palm growers.

“During the period of 2023 – 2025, the SPKS targets to push around 4,000 small-scale oil palm growers to get the sustainability certification of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO),” Darto said during the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PT Mutuagung Lestari Tbk (MUTU International).

According to him, within one year the SPKS is able to push five cooperatives for the certification of ISPO and RSPO. It means that if all stakeholders of the oil palm plantations collaborate then they can realize the targets of sustainability.

“We’re able to accelerate the certification of sustainability among the independent oil palm smallholders. Currently, there have been 1,400 members of SPKS who already got their certifications of ISPO and RSPO in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatera,” said Darto.

The economic coordinating ministry’s Deputy II in charge of foods and agribusiness, Musdhalifah Machmud urged all stakeholders to convince the global community that Indonesia’s palm oil industry does not harm the environment. “The palm oil industry in Indonesia supports the sustainable development as envisioned in the SDGs and bring many positive benefits to the general public,” she said.

“We need to push our plantation cooperatives and other oil palm smallholders to get their sustainability certifications of ISPO as stipulated in the prevailing regulations in Indonesia,” she said. (*)

Source: sawitku.id