House To Summon Agriculture Minister Over IPOP

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Commission IV on agriculture affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) will summon Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman over the implementation of the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge (IPOP).

"We have planned a hearing on Thursday where the agriculture minister will be asked for an explanation regarding the implementation of the IPOP and the plan to cancel a commitment that hampered industry," Commission IV deputy chairman Herman Khaeron said here on Tuesday.

Herman said if the implementation of the IPOP created too many problems in the field, the government had better ban it and the agriculture ministry should adopt a firm attitude.

"We will back it up. Our concern is for the farmers whose number is big," he remarked.

 He said the environment standards based on the IPOP are too high for farmers. If farmers are unable to follow the standard set by the IPOP, it could be guessed that the oil palm fruit of farmers will be difficult to sell. This is because almost all national oil palm trade sectors are in the hands of companies which also sign the IPOP commitment.

"This is very disadvantageous for the farmers. The government and the palm oil companies in the country should be governed by standardization measures formulated by the Indonesian government, such as the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO)," he said.

Moreover, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) said the IPOP had the potential to give rise to cartel practices.

"If this is true, it will prove to be very dangerous for the farmers. The government should be firm in banning the implementation of the IPOP in Indonesia," he stressed. (WDY)