Indonesia to Ban completely new Palm Oil Plantations to Stop Forest Fires

Indonesia is usually moving to ban completely new palm oil operations inside the aftermath of massive forest fires inside the country last year, partly caused by the industry’s expansion. however producers worry if the move could affect the nation’s economy.

President Joko Widodo has proposed a moratorium on granting completely new land for palm oil plantations in Indonesia, the planet’s top producer of the edible vegetable oil – a key ingredient in every day goods such as biscuits, shampoo along with also make-up. The move aims to reduce environmental damage caused by the industry.

Instead, President Widodo encouraged producers to focus on using better seeds to boost their yields. In a statement, he said “Palm oil concessions available at the moment are already adequate.”

Plantations on the islands of Sumatra along with also Borneo have expanded in recent years as the demand for palm oil have risen, bringing huge profits to companies, along with also revenues to the government. The growth of the oil palm industry has been blamed for the destruction of tropical along with also ancient forests – home to many endangered species – along with also recurrent forest fires due to illegal slash-along with also-burn clearance techniques.

The Indonesian Palm Oil Association revealed in which palm oil is usually the operating force behind Southeast Asia’s biggest economy along with also supports 24 million jobs, as reported by the The Independent.

Activists remained cautious about the proposal as Greenpeace Indonesia warned in which mere “presidential instruction” might be less effective along with also what the country needs is usually strict regulation.

A Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner, Kiki Taufik, told ABC News in which in order for the ban to run smoothly, government officials might need to work together effectively. “in which is usually probably one of the hardest parts – lack of coordination among officials is usually common along with also the idea often leads to bad implementation of regulations,” Taufik said.

Two weeks ago, on April 14, President Widodo first announced the moratorium, which included a review of existing oil palm along with also mining concessions inside the Leuser Ecosystem, along having a ban on land-clearing until the review is usually finalized. The moratorium came days after the president vowed to establish a nationwide moratorium on oil concessions in forest areas.