InfoSAWIT, BANJARBARU - The Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI), Eddy Martono, hopes that the issues surrounding forest areas currently being handled by the newly formed Task Force can be resolved quickly. According to him, resolving these issues is crucial to support the sustainability of the palm oil industry in Indonesia.
“We hope that the issues can be resolved soon. Currently, our production is stagnant while consumption continues to rise. This must be seriously anticipated to avoid a decrease in Indonesia's palm oil exports,” said Eddy Martono, as quoted by InfoSAWIT from the South Kalimantan Diskominfo on Thursday (February 20, 2025).
Eddy explained that the Task Force established by the government is working hard to resolve these issues. Based on the information he received, there are about 3.2 million hectares of areas under scrutiny, which involve not only large companies but also community ownership.
“Of the 436 companies that have been verified by the Task Force based on SK 36, around 200 GAPKI member companies are still in the verification process. The areas vary, with some being only 10 hectares, 50 hectares, or even up to 100 hectares,” he added.
According to Eddy, one of GAPKI's main focuses right now is to support the rejuvenation of smallholder palm oil as a solution to address production stagnation.
“We see that the rejuvenation of smallholder palm oil is very important. We face a significant threat if consumption continues to rise while production stagnates and productivity declines. This could become a major problem for our industry,” he explained.
Eddy also appreciated the government's efforts to focus on resolving forest area issues, which he believes is one of the main obstacles in the smallholder palm oil rejuvenation program.
“Today's theme is very appropriate because by resolving forest area issues, we open the way for more productive and sustainable palm oil rejuvenation,” he added.
With the swift actions of the Task Force and support from GAPKI, it is hoped that the Indonesian palm oil sector can develop more optimally, ensuring production resilience to meet the increasing consumption demand in the global market. (T2)
