InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification system could not answer the challenges that smallholders are facing namely those who are not in group which the numbers might be about 70% of their plantations that laid on 6,9 million hectares.
That is why Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS) also mentioned that to solve this issue, there should be institution in regional level, such as regional government because this institution gets the access to manage palm oil profit sharing and fund from Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA). Regional government has access to the central government and has bureaucracy and political infrastructures that are completed and be considered to have compatibility to mobilize ISPO certification in smallholders’ level. By having jurisdiction approach, there would be massive smallholders to get ISPO certification.
It is acknowledged or not, ISPO certification is very complicated to be implemented by the smallholders who live in 16.500 villages in Indonesia, for instance, they have to establish group in the first place in each village, get data, training, development, deal with area legal, deal with the institutioin, and should socialize (their institution). The process would take some time and it is very complicated. The regulation should simplify it, accommodate big scale certification approach with jurisdiction approach so that the smallholders would get ISPO certificate easily.
As smallholders’ organization, SPKS keeps doing its best to organize independent smallholders and do training about the best and sustainable practices. Then SPKS would encourage to get multiparty – collaboration, including with the government, non-government organizations, plantation companies, smallholders and the people would cooperate to implement ISPO principles and criteria by having jurisdiction approach.
Chairman of SPKS, Sabarudin said that it is essential to get ISPO fund access more for the smallholders. He thought, the access should not limit to the planters but also the organizations, such as, SPKS that has polygon or partnership with smallholders’ partnership. He told it in a public discussion and press conference that SPKS conducted on Wednesday (3/4/2024) in Jakarta.
Sabarudin also mentioned that SPKS has about 20 thousand members (independent smallholders) in 15 regencies. Unfortunately, they face issues when they wanted to get ISPO certification process, such as, financial. They have no fund enough.
“Unfortunately, the government does not pay attention to the financial issue namely when the smallholders in many locations, such as, in Regency of Sanggau wanted to get it. About 1000 smallholders want to implement ISPO certification process,” he said.
The smallholders in Sanggau have maps (of their plantations), cultivation documents and other terms and conditions to get certification process. Sabarudin mentioned, 12 unions are ready to implement ISPO certification and have qualified administrative terms and condition. But they face financial issue.
It means, getting more financial access in ISPO certification process would be essential to make sure that the smallholders, including those joining organizations, such as, SPKS, would easily join the process. This would help not only in the sustainability but also in supporting Indonesia to promote sustainable palm oil product in the globe. (T2)
