TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Ossy Dermawan stated that they will carry out the legalization of palm oil plantation land if the land is no longer part of the forest area. For this reason, the Ministry of ATR/BPN will coordinate with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry or KLHK.

"We are fully coordinating with the Ministry of Forestry in relation to this, if indeed the area (palm oil) from the factual aspect, from the field side, is no longer considered a forest area," said Ossy when met at the Ombudsman office on Monday, November 18, 2024.

Furthermore, Ossy said the Ministry of ATR also seeks advice from the Ombudsman regarding the legality of the palm oil plantation land. "If it has been released as a forest area, then the Ministry of ATR/BPN can expedite the legalization of the land, especially if this is for smallholder palm oil plantations and others," she said.

On the other hand, ATR cannot do anything if all palm oil plantation land is still within the forest area.

Additionally, she stated that the collaboration between the Ministry of ATR/BPN and KLHK is carried out through land mapping. This is to determine the areas that are still forested and non-forested to legalize the palm oil plantation land.

"This collaboration is needed to remap, which areas are forest and which are non-forest based on data but also facts on the ground," she said.

Meanwhile, Member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Yeca Hendra Fatika, said that one of the potential maladministration in the palm oil industry lies in the licensing aspect. He said that this could potentially cause losses to smallholder palm oil plantations amounting to Rp 111.6 trillion per year.

According to Yeka, the weakness in licensing aspects, especially in terms of recording Cultivation Registration Certificates (STDB) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) Certificates, has led to a decrease in the productivity of palm oil plantation land. Yeka said that this has resulted in Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) productivity not being able to reach optimal levels.

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