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Govt urged to take seriously importers' concerns about palm oil
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An oil palm plantation seen from above in Dumai, Riau (Antara Photo/Rony Muharrman)
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researcher from Yayasan Kehati (Biodiversity Foundation) has called on stakeholders in the country’s palm oil business to listen to the aspirations of foreign buyers, who have voiced concern over the production of Indonesia’s flagship commodity.
Ichsan Saif, Yayasan Kehati’s environmental policy researcher, said foreign buyers’ concerns should not always be treated as a negative campaign against the commodity.
“Those [concerns] are assumed [to be a negative campaign], but the government has never even conducted any in-depth studies to find out whether the concerns are indeed negative campaigns to bring down pam oil,” Ichsan told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
“[Maybe] they are purely a suggestion from consumers demanding products that are managed sustainably.”
Ichsan said the government had never attempted to substantiate its concerns.
The government has been trying to improve the image of palm oil, the country’s biggest export commodity in terms of volume. Indonesia is the biggest palm oil producer in the world.
Ichsan said the ongoing efforts by the government to promote the sustainability of Indonesia’s palm oil management should be able to demonstrate to the world Indonesia’s commitment to fix issues surrounding the commodity.
“The next question is whether these policies can be implemented effectively and change the national management of palm oil for good,” he added. (bbn)
