European Parliament Asked to Watch Indonesian Palm Industry

By : Herry Barus And Aldo Bella Putra | Saturday, April 14 2018 - 15:30 IWST

Kebun Kelapa Sawit (Ist)

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - Delegation of the Bilateral Cooperation Group RI-EU DPR-RI asked the attention of the European Parliament on the Resolution of the European Parliament which essentially eliminate / phase out for biofuel from raw materials of palm oil in 2021.

The resolution passed on January 17, 2018 was considered discriminatory because it harmed palm oil from other food crops, according to the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels, Belgium in Jakarta, Friday (13/4/2018).

GKSB Delegation Chairman Nurhayati Ali Assegaf in his meeting with the EU delegation confirmed that for Indonesia, palm oil is a key driver for addressing poverty, creating jobs, overcoming inequality, and promoting economic growth in Indonesia, in accordance with the principles contained in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Added also that oil palm is closely related to the lives of about 50 million Indonesians who are mostly small farmers.

In addition, the Government of Indonesia has also taken preventive measures to ensure sustainability aspects of oil palm including strengthening aspects of law enforcement.

It should also be noted that since 2015, Indonesia has succeeded in preventing forest fires through preventive measures.

In the aspect of trade, Nurhayati Ali Assegaf said that the EU can further strengthen trade cooperation with Indonesia as a fellow democracy.

On several occasions, the EU is considered to be putting forward cooperation with non-democratic countries. This is considered to provide a negative signal that democracy is not a requirement in strengthening cooperation with the EU.

The EU is expected to reflect that Indonesia is a good and reliable partner, including in trade aspect.

In response, Warner Langen as Chair of the DASE said that the European Parliament Resolution is not final and currently the EU is implementing a three-party negotiation process between the European Union, the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

It is also hoped that Indonesia can provide relevant data and information related to palm oil because palm oil is considered as a product that is less environmentally friendly and not sustainable. (Ant)