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A storm in a teacup has been generated over the past few weeks by WWF, Rainforest Action Network and allied NGOs, around the end of Indonesia’s palm oil moratorium, which lapsed this month. The NGOs demanded that the government must “extend it for longer as we still have the same problems”. Nothing could be further

Last month, the European Commission together with Guidehouse Consultancy launched a call for data about palm oil yield curves as it is attempting to establish what it refers to as a ‘dynamic yield baseline’ for oil palm plantations. The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) has presented a detailed submission to the EU, outlining the data

Brussels’ approach to Indonesian palm oil is beset with confusion. Some EU officials – most notably the EU Embassies in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur – insist publicly that the EU has no problem with palm oil imports, and is not trying to ban it. This is positive and welcome rhetoric. Unfortunately, it is fairly often

The European Commission has published a new Guidance Document, aimed “to address the risk of forced labour” in EU businesses’ supply chains. The document, promoted by the Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade) and the External Action Service (EEAS), gives a clear indication of how the EU will approach labour rights issue in its forthcoming Due Diligence

The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) jointly held a recent event focusing on compliance with Indonesia’s labour laws. It included perspectives from both the government inspection side, and from the private sector.  This event is part of a long-term collaboration between Indonesian institutions, and the ILO – as well as

The Indonesian government and palm oil community are working constantly to improve social welfare and labour conditions for the country’s palm oil workers. Indonesia works closely with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other trading partners improve practices, compliance and enforcement. Last week, Fadhil Hasan, Senior Economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and

Today, Indonesia Palm Oil Facts launches a new webpage focused on Indonesia’s national certification standard, ISPO (Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil). At the heart of this is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The UN SDGs are the core objectives designed and agreed by the global community, targeted at perhaps humanity’s most-important moral quest:

The Indonesian government and the Indonesian palm oil community are now, finally, receiving deserved credit for the progress made in environmental protection and sustainability guarantees that have been implemented over the past several years. This week, in the The Jakarta Post, Musdalifah Machmud, Undersecretary to the Coordinating Economic Minister for Food and Agribusiness, and Fadhil

The issue of labour rights in the palm oil sector is in the headlines once again. In a recent column for The Jakarta Globe, Fadhil Hasan, Senior Economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) and Sumarjono Saragih, Deputy Chairman of Labour Affairs of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), highlight the

The revision of ISPO and its new implementing regulations have bolstered ISPO’s robustness and credibility significantly. It is becoming apparent in the global palm oil community that not only is ISPO a serious ongoing concern with the backing of Indonesia’s President, but also that it is being implemented on a large scale across Indonesia, unprecedented