PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – President Joko Widodo has instructed a firm approach to legal action against all palm oil violations. Companies have had a three-year period to comply with regulations, and now the focus is on enforcing these rules. Smallholders in the Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS) across three regencies in Aceh Province—Aceh Utara, Aceh Tamiang, and Aceh Timur—are backing this initiative.
The SPKS Aceh Province, representing these regencies, fully supports the President’s directive. Many palm oil plantation companies have been exploiting forest areas for palm oil development without proper permits. SPKS hopes that this order will address these issues effectively.
“This is a significant opportunity for smallholders. As per President Joko Widodo’s instruction, starting from July 10, 2024, we will await the decisions from each authority in our region over the next month,” said Abubakar AR, Coordinator of SPKS, in an official statement to Palmoilmagazine.com on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
He mentioned SPKS would monitor every execution process knowing that in the Regency of Aceh Tamiang, there are about 19 companies, Aceh Timur has 11 companies, and Aceh Utara has 7 companies. They might violate the regulations.
If they are found to break the regulations, SPKS hopes the permits of the companies should be revoked and their cultivation should be handed over for the cooperation or smallholders’ group that have good management. “We have prepared the smallholders’ organizations that are reliable based on every procedure that the government regulates,” he said.
He also mentioned SPKS would keep supervising the circulars published by General Director of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture, Andi Nur Alam Syah that instructed to get fasilitasi pembangunan kebun masyarakat sekitar (FPKMS) with the time limit up to 31 December 2024. The Regulation of Minister of Agriculture Number 39 / 2014 noted that every plantation company is obliged to develop people’s plantations for about 20 percent of the total areas that the company cultivates in business rights.
SPKS would urge the regional governments to confirm that every plantation company in Aceh Province should obey the regulation and realize their corporate social responsibility transparently.
“We would ask for every plantation company in Aceh Province, help us in the villages and environment, according to the social obligations,” Abubakar hoped.
By the firm order, SPKS is optimist that the smallholders in the province would get bigger advantages and fairness in palm oil plantation cultivation. (T2)
