JAKARTA, July 7 (Bernama-Antara) – The next government, which will be led by Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of palm oil products as a strategic product for domestic and foreign markets, an academic said, as reported by the Indonesian News Agency (Antara).
According to Rachmat Pambudy, a professor at Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), there is a need for a policy to protect and promote palm oil.
“The government can choose a protection policy because palm oil is often unstable. There are many ways to protect palm oil actively and passively,” he said in his statement released on Sunday.
The protection and promotion of palm oil should be actively carried out through financial support and managed by the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), he said.
Regarding the proposal to establish the BPDPKS, Pambudy stressed that it must have a solid basis in terms of data and arguments.
He said the establishment of the BPDPKS is a common interest of stakeholders in the palm oil sector.
“I see that (BPDPKS) is a necessity and part of the strategy to produce high-quality and competitive products,” he said during a discussion titled “Maintaining the Sustainability of the Palm Oil Industry in the New Government,” held in Jakarta on July 4.
He said the establishment of the agency must have a legal basis based on existing laws and regulations.
Meanwhile, Fenny Sofyan, communications manager of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), said the Indonesian palm oil industry is facing a negative image campaign on palm oil.
One way to counter this negative campaign, she said, is to intensify Indonesia’s Sustainable Palm Oil Production (ISPO) policy.
She hopes that the Prabowo-Gibran administration will be able to make ISPO the only valid certification so that the market can fully accept Indonesian palm oil products.
“Community acceptance of palm oil needs to happen, which is why ISPO is a value to industry players. That is why we hope the next government will champion this issue,” she said.
— BERNAMA-ANTARA
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