Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - In the midst of a negative campaign against palm oil by the European Union, Indonesia continues to convince the international community that the national plantation industry has implemented sustainable principles so that not only does this sector benefit humans but also the environment.

In a discussion with the theme Towards Inclusiveness of Sustainable Palm Oil Production in Indonesia: Dealing with Smallholders at the Indonesian Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia on Thursday (12/12), Indonesia’s Ambassador to Slovakia Adiyatwidi Adiwoso Asmady emphasized the important role of oil palm because it has provided economic benefits to the people and environmental.

According to him, the Indonesian Government's policies and efforts to guarantee the country’s palm oil and its derivative products have met the sustainable aspects in accordance with the requirements in the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), according to the Republic of Indonesia's Foreign Ministry website as quoted here on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Director of Foreign Trade, Slovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Stanislav Kubinec said his government followed the development of the litigation process (settlement of legal disputes in court, where each party to the dispute had the opportunity to file a lawsuit and rebuttal) at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that was being pursued by Indonesia.

He hoped that the settlement of the oil palm dispute and its derivative products would be acceptable to all parties.

The support for Sustainable Indonesian Palm Oil was delivered by Milan Compel from the Indonesia-Slovakia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

He said the management of oil palm plantations that has been carried out by Indonesia is in accordance with the principles of sustainability.

In fact, several discussion participants expressed their interest in importing CPP (clean petroleum products) from Indonesia.

They also suggested building and utilizing ports in Croatia to shorten the export chain so that Slovakia could more easily obtain palm oil products and their derivatives from Indonesia.

In general, the discussion participants expressed positive appreciation to the information presented by the Indonesian Government.

The discussion participants from Croatia are expected to be able to voice Indonesia's interests in combating anti-discrimination policies against palm oil.

The discussion on oil palm in Bratislava is a mechanism for building a better understanding of sustainable palm oil adopted by Indonesia.

Reporting by Indonesia Window