Global Indonesian Voices (04/04/2018) - Indonesia, one of the world’s largest exporter of crude palm oil and palm oil products, relies on the commodity as its major foreign exchange earner.

Jakarta, GIVnews.com – Mainly aimed to ensure the welfare of farmers and guarantee legal practices in the sector, the palm oil bill is meant to be constructive to the industry. But, now Indonesian lawmakers are unsure whether to continue deliberating the bill which, the House of Representatives (DPR) initiated in late 2016.

Legislators may decide to cancel the palm oil draft law if their open hearings with different stakeholders of the palm oil industry lead them to do so. As reported by Kompas daily, those stakeholders included economic ministers, the Forum for the Sustainable Development of Strategic Plantations (FP2SB), the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI), and the Association of Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers (APKSI).

Ferdiansyah, a member of DPR’s legislation body (Baleg) from Golkar Party, said their discussions with hearing participants so far had not shed any clear light on the urgency of the bill. He said the perspective during their meeting with a group of palm oil industry leaders at the House last week as reported by Tribunnews.com.

The government had previously pointed out last July that any special law on palm oil industry was unnecessary. It argued that the industry is already regulated by several laws including Law No. 39 Year 2014 on Plantations, Law No. 3 Year 2014 on Industry, and Law No. 19 Year 1999 on Farmers Protection and Empowerment.

Indonesia, one of the world’s largest exporter of crude palm oil and palm oil products, relies on the commodity as its major foreign exchange earner. Reportedly, many palm oil companies operating in Indonesia are owned by foreign firms including those from Malaysia, which is also a major palm oil producer and exporter.

Read more at http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/32553/palm-oil-bill-deliberation-could-go-nowhere/