As Muslims around the world fast during the holy month of Ramadhan, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) organised a breaking the fast event with media on July 1st in Jakarta. More than 20 members of the local media industry were present.
Desi Kusumadewi, RSPO Indonesia Director, first invited participants to take a walk down memory lane with her to relive RSPO Indonesia’s journey which began in 2005, when RSPO held its second roundtable in Indonesia. This roundtable was officiated by Prof. Bungaran Saragih, Indonesia’s Minister of Agriculture, who is presently an advisor for RSPO.
Recognising the value and impact of Indonesia as an important market, the RSPO was established in Indonesia in 2006. Since then, major milestones have marked the growth of the organisation, including the approval of the RSPO Principles & Criteria (P&C) National Interpretation for Indonesia; awarding the first Principles & Criteria certificates to Indonesia’s “first-mover” companies in 2009 (such as PT. Musim Mas, PT. Hindoli dan PT. London Sumatera); the first certificate presentation to scheme smallholders in 2010; the certification of the Indonesian Independent Smallholders Group (Asosiasi Petani Swadaya Amanah) in 2013; and others.
At the media gathering, Stefano Savi (RSPO’s Global Outreach and Engagement Director), presented the RSPO 2015 Growth Interpretation Narrative (GIN) report. The publication outlines a summary of recent developments and provides insights into RSPO-related palm oil data collected over the last few years. It also provides an analysis of the trends over a longer period of time.
Stefano wrapped up his presentation by highlighting the RSPO’s ambitious 2020 targets for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) for all regions, including the 50% CSPO target for Indonesia by 2020.
At the end of the session, Prof. Bungaran announced organisational changes at RSPO Indonesia, which will see Desi Kusumadewi and Dr. Asril Darussamin (RSPO Indonesia Technical Manager) leaving the organisation after years of dedicated commitment.
On behalf of the organisation, we would like to wish them all the very best and good luck in future undertakings.
