Palm Oil Trees Have Leaves. Experts on Prabowo’s Mission for Food and Energy Security Without Deforestation
Indonesian President Prabowo who is well known for his aggressive stance on protecting Indonesia’s economy, touched off a media firestorm when he suggested that palm oil plantations are forests because palm oil trees have leaves.
Foreign critics of Indonesian palm oil like Hans Nicholas Jong were quick to milk what Prabowo said:
Indonesian media has quietened the shrill of Mongabay with their own reactions to Prabowo’s statement.
President Prabowo Subianto might not have thought his remarks would spark a controversy when he recently suggested that Indonesia expand oil palm plantations without worrying about deforestation.
His statement sent the wrong signal about his administration’s stance on the sustainability of the commodity. Worse, his words undermine years of progress in curbing deforestation from the palm oil industry, which is partly thanks to moratoriums on the issuance of new permits and licenses for oil palm plantations decades ago. Jakarta Post/ Asia News Network
Even the main body of Indonesian palm oil industry agreed that there was enough brownfields in Indonesia to meet Prabowo’s vision of a food and energy secure Indonesia.
This has not stopped foreign reports on attacking Prabowo. The craziest accusation against Prabowo came from Duncan Graham who likened Prabowo to Trump as “suffering from the dictator’s delusion – that a ballot-box win turns a politician into a seer refuting established science.”
This is an outrageous comparison of Prabowo to Trump with the latter uttering nonsense like climate change is a hoax and the threats Trump poses to climate science. The EU expects Donald Trump to deal a serious blow to climate change mitigation efforts according to Reuters. Prabowo on the other hand wants to increase palm oil production for the dual purposes of supporting the economy and defossilization.
Meeting Indonesia’s Needs for More Palm Oil Without Deforestation
Duncan Graham obviously needs to read more or at least get out more. It's astonishing how he can live in East Java and fail to note that this region contains the most Indonesians living under the poverty line.
Prabowo should kick Duncan Graham out of Indonesia for having failed to understand the socio-economic needs of Indonesia. Or at the very least, demand that Duncan Graham read Bahasa language news.
A combat ready President of Indonesia dressed in army fatigues is exactly what Indonesia needs to fight the protectionist policies of the US and Europe even as Prabowo fights for Indonesia’s economy and its commitment to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
In the meantime, voices that matter have put forward solutions to Prabowo’s demands for food and energy security.
According to Infosawit:
Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Firman Soebagyo, expressed his concern over the forest conversion plan announced by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni. Firman said that the plan has the potential to threaten the sustainability of Indonesia's forests and environmental sustainability.
Firman's statement was in response to the plan to use up to 20 million hectares of forest land to support national food and energy security. "In facing the threat of climate change, the existence of forests is very important and we must protect them. Is there no other way to support food security other than destroying forests and carrying out deforestation?" said Firman in his statement as reported by InfoSAWIT , Friday (10/1/2025).
The government's plan through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) to open up 12 to 20 million hectares of forest land to support the national food and energy sovereignty program has received serious attention from a member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Slamet.
Slamet also highlighted the importance of maintaining ecological balance in running this program. He warned that forest destruction could impact the availability of water for agriculture, which would ultimately be counterproductive to the goal of food security itself.
"The Ministry of Forestry should not follow suit and be mistaken. The ministry's contribution in supporting food self-sufficiency must ensure that forests remain intact and sustainable. If forests are damaged, the availability of water for agricultural production can be disrupted," said Slamet, a politician from the PKS faction.
Furthermore, Slamet proposed that the government prioritize the use of non-productive land outside forest areas to support the food self-sufficiency program. He considered optimizing abandoned land outside forest areas a more sustainable solution.
The most realistic proposal to Prabowo for Indonesia’s food and energy needs, came from independent journalists at Sawit Nustantara (WSN) who understand the industry better.
According to Abdul Aziz, TBS (fresh fruit bunches) production should be at 3-4 tons per hectare per month. The calculation is based on evidence obtained by WSN in several regions in Indonesia. Such as Riau, South Sumatra, East Kalimantan, and Southeast Sulawesi.
With TBS production reaching 3 tons per hectare per month, it means that national CPO production, said Aziz, is three times the current production.
The harvest yields from the estimated 17 million hectares of palm oil plantations in Indonesia could produce three times as much palm oil without the need for deforestation.
The best news for Prabowo if the Indonesian government can indeed support the recommendations made by Sawit Nusantara, is the report filed by Monica Evans on CIFOR that called for more attention to perennial crops like palm oil trees which have leaves and can mitigate climate change.
Deforestation a Non Issue?
Whether Prabowo listens to Indonesian experts and members of the House of Representatives may well depend on global markets in the coming years.
As of this writing, the EU has sealed a trade deal with Mexico. If deforestation for avocados, soybean, sugarcane and palm oil is endorseable by the EU, then the EU-Indonesia trade talks have a good chance of success.
Higher profile issues like the “EU discrimination” against palm based biofuels may become a side issue if Indonesia finds friendlier trade partners in India, China and Russia where sustainability is a non-issue.
Published January 2025 CSPO Watch
Foreign critics of Indonesian palm oil like Hans Nicholas Jong were quick to milk what Prabowo said:
- Indonesian president says palm oil expansion won’t deforest because ‘oil palms have leaves’
- Indonesian forestry minister proposes 20m hectares of deforestation for crops
Indonesian media has quietened the shrill of Mongabay with their own reactions to Prabowo’s statement.
President Prabowo Subianto might not have thought his remarks would spark a controversy when he recently suggested that Indonesia expand oil palm plantations without worrying about deforestation.
His statement sent the wrong signal about his administration’s stance on the sustainability of the commodity. Worse, his words undermine years of progress in curbing deforestation from the palm oil industry, which is partly thanks to moratoriums on the issuance of new permits and licenses for oil palm plantations decades ago. Jakarta Post/ Asia News Network
- Indonesia Business Post Experts slam, warn of President Prabowo’s defensive remarks on palm oil expansion
- Tempo Academic Advises Prabowo Study Palm Oil Before Expansion
- Infosawit Prabowo's Statement on Palm Oil Sparks Controversy Over Deforestation
Even the main body of Indonesian palm oil industry agreed that there was enough brownfields in Indonesia to meet Prabowo’s vision of a food and energy secure Indonesia.
This has not stopped foreign reports on attacking Prabowo. The craziest accusation against Prabowo came from Duncan Graham who likened Prabowo to Trump as “suffering from the dictator’s delusion – that a ballot-box win turns a politician into a seer refuting established science.”
This is an outrageous comparison of Prabowo to Trump with the latter uttering nonsense like climate change is a hoax and the threats Trump poses to climate science. The EU expects Donald Trump to deal a serious blow to climate change mitigation efforts according to Reuters. Prabowo on the other hand wants to increase palm oil production for the dual purposes of supporting the economy and defossilization.
Meeting Indonesia’s Needs for More Palm Oil Without Deforestation
Duncan Graham obviously needs to read more or at least get out more. It's astonishing how he can live in East Java and fail to note that this region contains the most Indonesians living under the poverty line.
Prabowo should kick Duncan Graham out of Indonesia for having failed to understand the socio-economic needs of Indonesia. Or at the very least, demand that Duncan Graham read Bahasa language news.
A combat ready President of Indonesia dressed in army fatigues is exactly what Indonesia needs to fight the protectionist policies of the US and Europe even as Prabowo fights for Indonesia’s economy and its commitment to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
In the meantime, voices that matter have put forward solutions to Prabowo’s demands for food and energy security.
According to Infosawit:
Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Firman Soebagyo, expressed his concern over the forest conversion plan announced by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni. Firman said that the plan has the potential to threaten the sustainability of Indonesia's forests and environmental sustainability.
Firman's statement was in response to the plan to use up to 20 million hectares of forest land to support national food and energy security. "In facing the threat of climate change, the existence of forests is very important and we must protect them. Is there no other way to support food security other than destroying forests and carrying out deforestation?" said Firman in his statement as reported by InfoSAWIT , Friday (10/1/2025).
The government's plan through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) to open up 12 to 20 million hectares of forest land to support the national food and energy sovereignty program has received serious attention from a member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Slamet.
Slamet also highlighted the importance of maintaining ecological balance in running this program. He warned that forest destruction could impact the availability of water for agriculture, which would ultimately be counterproductive to the goal of food security itself.
"The Ministry of Forestry should not follow suit and be mistaken. The ministry's contribution in supporting food self-sufficiency must ensure that forests remain intact and sustainable. If forests are damaged, the availability of water for agricultural production can be disrupted," said Slamet, a politician from the PKS faction.
Furthermore, Slamet proposed that the government prioritize the use of non-productive land outside forest areas to support the food self-sufficiency program. He considered optimizing abandoned land outside forest areas a more sustainable solution.
The most realistic proposal to Prabowo for Indonesia’s food and energy needs, came from independent journalists at Sawit Nustantara (WSN) who understand the industry better.
According to Abdul Aziz, TBS (fresh fruit bunches) production should be at 3-4 tons per hectare per month. The calculation is based on evidence obtained by WSN in several regions in Indonesia. Such as Riau, South Sumatra, East Kalimantan, and Southeast Sulawesi.
With TBS production reaching 3 tons per hectare per month, it means that national CPO production, said Aziz, is three times the current production.
The harvest yields from the estimated 17 million hectares of palm oil plantations in Indonesia could produce three times as much palm oil without the need for deforestation.
The best news for Prabowo if the Indonesian government can indeed support the recommendations made by Sawit Nusantara, is the report filed by Monica Evans on CIFOR that called for more attention to perennial crops like palm oil trees which have leaves and can mitigate climate change.
Deforestation a Non Issue?
Whether Prabowo listens to Indonesian experts and members of the House of Representatives may well depend on global markets in the coming years.
As of this writing, the EU has sealed a trade deal with Mexico. If deforestation for avocados, soybean, sugarcane and palm oil is endorseable by the EU, then the EU-Indonesia trade talks have a good chance of success.
Higher profile issues like the “EU discrimination” against palm based biofuels may become a side issue if Indonesia finds friendlier trade partners in India, China and Russia where sustainability is a non-issue.
Published January 2025 CSPO Watch