Indonesia is preparing an Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification as a guideline for environmentally friendly oil palm plantations in the country.
“Indonesia is currently preparing a guidance for developing sustainable oil palm plantations in line with the existing regulations in Indonesia,” Mukti Sarjono, director of the agriculture ministry’s estate crops, said here Tuesday in his opening speech at the Annual Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) 2010.
ISPO would be mandatory to oil palm producers in Indonesia.
The objectives of ISPO are among other things to increase the awareness of producing sustainable oil palm, to strengthen Indonesian palm oil competitiveness in the world markets, and to support Indonesia’s commitment to preservation of natural resources and the environment.
RSPO is an initiative of various stakeholders intending to promote sustainable palm oil production globally, he said.
The organization has more than 450 members including oil palm plantation companies, palm oil distillation companies, consumption material manufacturing companies, retailers, investors, social as well as environmental NGOs.
RSPO started in 2003 as informal cooperation among Aarhus United UK Ltd, WWF (World Wildlife Fund), Golden Hope Plantations Berhad, Migros, the Malaysian Palm Oil Association, Sainsbury, and Unilever.
In 2004, RSPO was legally registered in Switzerland, and has offices in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Jakarta (Indonesia).
The Eighth RSPO meeting is being held in Jakarta, from November 9 to 11, 2010.
