InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - Rencana Aksi Nasional Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan (RAN KSB) until 2024, delivered advantages for the central and regional governments to conduct series of improvement in palm oil governance by delivering program services of action plans and fund through national and regional budgets, and also multi-party cooperation. But the reality showed that the adoption to RAN KSB in the regions through Rencana Aksi Daerah Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan (RAD KSB) is minimal still, or only nine provinces and 19 regencies conduct RAD KSB.
As the result, Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certificate is stagnant. Only about 0,3 percent from smallholders’ plantations got such certificate and conducted RAD KSB nationally. The governments have done many things, for instance, having multi-party collaboration, to encourage ISPO certification process for smallholders. The idea of jurisdiction approach would be one option to accelerate ISPO certification for palm oil plantations nationally.
According to Assistant Deputy of Plantation Agribusiness Development, Coordinator Ministry in Economy, Eddy Yusuf, the central and regional governments and other stakeholders could encourage ISPO certificates for smallholders namely the independent ones. It is part of the government’s commitment on sustainable palm oil.
“Many smallholders need the supports from the governments and other related stakeholders to accelerate ISPO certification,” Eddy said in the workshop with the theme "Best Practices Perkebunan Berkelanjutan Berbasis Pendekatan Yurisdiksi", that Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS) and Yayasan Kaleka conducted, Thursday (20/6/2024) in Jakarta.
The central government through Ministry of Agriculture also delivered ISPO certification acceleration for the smallholders. The ministry together with regional governments tried to encourage palm oil plantation practices and governance for smallholders in the regions. It was in collaboration with other stakeholders to get sustainable palm oil.
Director of Plantation Product Marketing and Process, Prayudi Syamsuri said that to support the increasing palm oil demands up to 7,3% and the pressure to realize the closer sustainable palm oil practices, the government launched the strategy – Sawit Satu, which means, it implements smallholders replanting program (SRP) which the fund would be supported by the budget in Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA)
The government also encouraged to improve palm oil plantation infrastructures, provide budget to get scholarship for 3.000 children of smallholders. “Including to publish RAN KSB, which is the commitment of the government to support sustainable palm oil,” he said.
Prayudi continued, jurisdiction approach would run by involving (one) regions in certain limits both politically and administratively and the region(s) would be assessed in obedience and fulfillment on principles and criteria to get ISPO certificates. CPO to be produced in the regions would be taken to qualify ISPO standards. “Jurisdiction approach could be the chance to accelerate ISPO certification process namely in the smallholders’ levels,” he said.
As same as what the government has been doing, Yayasan Kaleka (was Inobu) initiated jurisdiction approach as the way to encourage ISPO certification process. Bernadinus Steni Sugiarto from Yayasan Kaleka thought if the certification process is joined by less than 500 smallholders, the certification would spend much, or could be more than US$ 170 per smallholder. If the certification process is joined by more than 2.000 smallholders, the costs would be pressed or less than US$ 50 per smallholder.
That is why to solve the challenges, it would need more holistic approach and coordination. One solution to offer is that to escalate certification scale to cover up more smallholders in one process. By expanding the cover, the cost per smallholder would be minimal significantly and make it more affordable for every party.
It would need policy intervene to minimize the costs that relate to certification process. This includes to deliver subsidy to develop smallholders’ capacity, area maps, establish smallholders’ organization, and deal with the legal. It means, every certification process would be more efficient and fairer for every involved stakeholder.
SPKS has part of work to support ISPO certification acceleration. This is also about to improve sustainable palm oil cultivation and governance.
Chairman of SPKS, Sabarudin said that to solve these challenges, it would need inclusive approach and easy access for smallholders. One proposed solution is that holistic approach or known as jurisdiction approach. This would enable to accelerate ISPO certification process by involving the governments and other related stakeholders.
“Until now the policies in palm oil sectors in Indonesia support to develop sustainable palm oil, such as, ISPO, RAN KSB, and the arrangement to RAD KSB in the regions,” he said.
But there are gaps to achieve it and the output, namely in the jurisdiction and environment contexts.
That is why SPKS emphasized, it would be significant to comprehensively formulate jurisdiction approach to create sustainable regencies. This would cover the inventory in social, economic, and environmental aspects in the regions, and supporting acion plans and institutional system.
The sample of jurisdiction implementation and approach is that to get smallholders’ data in a whole in a region. It would be collectively certified. This approach would confirm that there is no smallholder left behind in the certification process. The whole evaluation in one region, including the identification that got degradation, medium, and stability would be parts of the approach.
“The solution we would offer is not technocratic only but also responsive and accountable to support palm oil governance which is adjustable with the concrete changing needs in the landscape level,” he said. (T1)
