JAKARTA – The plantation directorate general of the agriculture ministry has simplified the procedures for the plantation services at regental and mayoralty governments to issue certificates of registration for plantation and cultivation businesses (STDB), which is a necessary document to get the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification.
The Plantation Director General Andi Nur Alam Syah said that the biggest challenge facing the palm oil industry in Indonesia is related to the issue of sustainability and deforestation, which should be tackled with an effective and efficient strategy.
“To strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesia’s palm oil industry at the global market, the government has started the certification of ISPO for oil palm growers and from 2025 it will be a must for all oil plantation companies and smallholders,” he said last week.
The government has issued the presidential regulation (Perpres) No.44/2020 on the certification system of sustainable palm oil and the agriculture minister’s regulation (Permentan) No.38/2020 on the implementation of Indonesian sustainable palm oil, which are now being revised.
“The revised version will integrate the certification of palm oil from upstream to downstream industries by involving all related stakeholders to improve the sustainability along the supply chain of the palm oil industry in 2025. Hopefully, we can realize the ISPO by 100%,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman has also asked all of subordinates to continue the process of digitalization in the agriculture sector as part of efforts to improve the governance in agriculture sector, which includes plantations. It is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian palm oil at the global market, especially in European Union (EU) market.
Andi Nur expressed his appreciation to the collaboration between the government and the oil palm plantation companies in improving the database of plantations through the STDB. It is expected to strengthen the sustainability of palm oil in the future. “In dealing with the EUDR, all palm oil stakeholders should be committed to implementing the right and effective strategy to win global competition,” he said. (*)
Source: sawitku.id
