International green campaigns lack evidence, say Indonesian Crude Palm Oil producers

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 4 Feb 10;

Indonesia’s palm oil producers have say overseas anti-palm-oil groups have persistently launched smear campaigns against Indonesia’s crude palm oil, using green issues and aiming to blocking trade in the commodity.

Palm Oil Association Producers (Gapki) said smear campaigns were made by the governments of foreign countries in cooperation with international NGOs. The groups had accused Indonesia’s palm oil producers of damaging the environment, Gapki said.

“It is not true that palm oil firms damage the environment,” Gapki executive director Fadhil Hasan told the House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing trade and industry affairs, on Thursday.

However, Fadhil said Gapki had no scientific measures to assess the impacts of plantations on the environment and climate change.

“There is still a missing link between research and development and the industry sector, in terms of environmental impacts, peat land and greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

“[The gap exists] because there is insufficient support from the government and legislators to counter the black campaigns.”

Fadhil declined to name the international NGOs that had launched campaigns condemning Indonesia’s palm oil industries.