Jakarta– Questions have arisen after Indonesian President Joko Widodo stated he would ‘combat discrimination against palm oil’ following a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the Bogor Palace on Monday, January 9 2022. In his statement, Jokowi said that Indonesia and Malaysia had agreed to strengthen cooperation through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries to increase market share and fight discrimination against palm oil. 

“The president did not openly mention European Union regulations in his statement, but we can deduce that is what he meant, considering previous accusations made by Indonesian officials,” said Kiki Taufik, Head of Greenpeace Indonesia’s Global Forest Campaign.

In reality, the new EU deforestation law should not be considered discriminatory, but rather part of a global push to reduce deforestation through increasing sustainability and transparency in commodity markets.

The law prohibits commodities including soy, beef, palm oil, wood, rubber, cocoa and coffee, along with some derivative products, from entering the European Union market if they were produced through deforestation or do not meet traceability requirements. Indonesian palm oil producers need only prove that there has been no deforestation in their concessions after the cutoff date of December 31, 2020.

“The EU deforestation law does not pose a threat to trade if the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia commit to stop deforestation for palm oil. However, the leaders’ claims they will ‘combat discrimination against palm oil’ suggests that the two countries still intend to allow future deforestation,” said Kiki.

“Through the EU deforestation law, member countries are finally taking responsibility for deforestation caused by their own consumption. This is positive for the planet and for social justice. We can’t continue to grab Indigenous lands and destroy rainforests as has often been done in the past to produce palm oil,” said Kiki.

“The Indonesian government has also made similar commitments, including through its forest moratorium policy and Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 policy,” added Kiki.

As the Indonesian Palm Oil Smallholders Union has highlighted, there is an opportunity for smallholders to benefit from this if they are given support to document that they are producing without deforestation. This can be a win for forests and for smallholders. 

Media Contacts:

Kiki Taufik, Head of Global Forest Campaign, Greenpeace Indonesia, +62 811-8706-074 

Igor O’Neill, Greenpeace Indonesia Forests Campaign: [email protected] +61-414-288-424