JAKARTA – The Association of  Indonesian Smallholders (Apkasindo) has sent a letter to Bill Gates, protesting his negative statements on the palm industry. The letter identified with number 208/DPP-APKS/V/2024 expresses a disappointment of 16 million smallholders in Indonesia to Bill Gates, who is known as philanthropist and care with the little people.

“We, Indonesian smallholders are really disappointed over the statements made by Bill Gates who is known active in fighting for equality and increasing human living standards, including the smallholders,” Apkasindo Chairman Dr. Gulat Manurung said on Thursday (16/05/2024).

Gulat stated that Bill Gates’ idea to eliminate oil palm trees is like killing hundreds million people in palm oil producing countries, where the smallholders have all put in a lot of sweat and tears in developing their oil palm plantations for the sake of supporting the lives of their families.

“Bill Gates’ ambition to produce the C16 Bioscience and eliminate oil palm trees will cause many people facing the risk of becoming unemployed, poor, and losing access to health services, and basic education,” said Gulat.

Following is an excerpt from the letter  sent by Apkasindo to the email of GatesFoundation on 13 May 2024 (in its original English text).

Dear Mr. Gates

On behalf of the Indonesian Palm Oil Smallholders Association, I would like to express my strong disappointment toward your view on palm oil, particularly in regard of ‘how we get it’ as stated in your blog www.gatesnotes.com on February 13, 2024.
You have brutally accused palm oil as the cause of deforestation of rainforest and wetlands which leads to emission and the release of greenhouse gasses and thus concluded that it is best to have no palm oil tree at all.

Please let us remind you that eliminating palm oil trees is the same action as killing hundred millions of people in the producing countries, especially the smallholders, the one who plant the tree with sweat and tears.

Is preserving the nature in which human worth the cost of killing smallholders live by killing their source of income?
It is well known and many studies shown that palm oil provides vital income for poor communities considering more than 40% of the crops derive from smallholders. We, smallholders, do not expect to have equal wealth as you are, yet selling palm oil fresh fruit bunch has fed many families for generations.

In fact, palm oil industry in Indonesia is proven to contribute to the development in the rural communities. It provides job for over 2.3 million smallholders and 4.6 million of its workers. If we look closer, it becomes the source of livelihood for over 20 million people, if we count all the workers and their families that depend on the industry.

These are the numbers of people who would be at risk to fall into unemployment, poverty and losing access to basic healthcare and education, should palm oil tree no longer exist due to your ambition in replacing it with the product of C16 Bioscience.

Any action against or to banish this commodity, particularly the one that is based on a scientifically flawed criteria is counter-productive, not only to broader socio-economic dimension of sustainable development, but also on the environmental conservation.

Based on the study by European Commission in 2013, palm oil only contributes 2% in global deforestation throughout 1990 – 2008, whereas soybean contributes 6% or three times higher.

Another data from USDA in 2021 shown that palm oil owns the lowest deforestation index in comparison to other crops of vegetable oils which are sunflower, rapeseed and soybean.

The abovementioned research indicate that palm oil is, in fact, the solution crop to reserve the nature and increase livelihood of many people. This knowledge leads me to conclusion that your action to banish palm oil crop is an act of diminishing global competition in the name of nature preservation.

Mr. Gates, I urge you to please consider wisely the consequences of your perspective and act towards palm oil would cost millions of smallholders lives in at least 7 producing countries. Shall you truly concern about the nature, we are more than delighted to discuss further possible movement to minimize any impact.

Honorable Mr. Gates, who is a prominent public figure that is admired by the world. We earnestly ask you to allow us, palm oil smallholders to live equal welfare with your part of the world, because palm oil. Please allow our children to have equal chance of better future, because of palm oil. (*)

Source: sawitindonesia.com