PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Despite the initiation of sustainable palm oil practices in 2011 through the Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 19/Permentan/OT.140/3/2011, outlining the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) guidelines, the actual certification process in the field has fallen short of initial expectations.
The original plan, as outlined, aimed to complete the ISPO certification process for all palm oil plantations in Indonesia within a two-year timeframe. However, these targets have not been met.
Over the course of five years of ISPO implementation (2011-2015), only 127 companies were granted certification, a notably small number when considering the thousands of companies operating within Indonesia.
In 2015 the policy was revised and Regulation of Minister of Agriculture No. 11/Permentan/OT.140/3/2015 about ISPO Certification System was published by hoping to increase the certification process.
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Unfortunately, it still slowly ran though ISPO Commission Secretariat noted significant progress to ISPO certification in 2016 to 2019. There were 494 planters got the ISPO certificate or increased 389%. But it was far beyond expectation.
The stakeholders joining in Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) once promised 5 (five) things to accelerate the ISPO process in the midst of 2019.
The promises were, to support the ISPO implementation and certification; the second, to support every member of IPOA to fulfill the ISPO indicators, principles, and criteria; the third, to realize 100% ISPO certification by 2020; the fourth, to support what the government does to accomplish the ISPO certification empowerment; and the fifth, to support the government in ISPO acceptance in the global markets.
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By March 2019, there were 335 of 725 companies in total as the members of IPOA which got ISPO certificate.
General Secretary of Forum Pengembangan Perkebunan Strategis Berkelanjutan (FP2SB), Ermanto Fahamsyah told that there were issues and challenges which cause the slow progress to ISPO certification; such as, the first, the understanding and policy about sustainability concept in Indonesia.
The basic issue which was never completely discussed in Indonesia is the same understanding about the definition and basic concept of the sustainability to cultivate and develop palm oil.
The second, the institutional mechanism organizes ISPO certificate. The basic issue in the ISPO institutional mechanism is the organization of ISPO process – some thought that it was not transparent, no liability from the auditor, the final assessment, and longer time to decide when giving ISPO certificate.
“Some thought that the big roles given to ISPO Commission to run the certification process through ISPO Secretariat which is managed by ministry of agriculture could be the practical obstacles for the planters and ISPO certificate institution which should actually be independent,” Ermanto said.
The third, some thought that the substantial principles, criteria, and indicators in ISPO certification system reflect the national interests. In the other words, ISPO has no power to influence the markets and the consumers because ISPO is only the local wisdom and has weakness in the criteria. The available standards and criteria could not answer the weakness of license, supervision, inconsistent policy, minimum transparency, and the weak law enforcement which keeps happening.
