Jakarta, SAWIT INDONESIA - Indonesian Oil Palm Smallholders Association (APKASINDO), along with representatives of palm oil smallholders from Malaysia and Thailand, held a press conference with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday (November 4, 2025).
The press conference, which took place during the RSPO Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT2025) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, served as a follow-up to the signing of the MoU on collaborative efforts to enhance the capacity and capability of oil palm smallholders in obtaining sustainability certification.
The MoU between APKASINDO and RSPO was previously signed during Setaracita Expo 2025 in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, in September.
In this agenda, APKASINDO was represented by the Head of International Relations and People Development of DPP APKASINDO, Dr. (cn) Djono A. Burhan, S.Kom., MMgt (Int. Bus)., CC, CL. He conveyed that, in accordance with the direction of the Chairman of APKASINDO, Dr. Gulat Medali Emas Manurung, MP., C.IMA., C.APO, oil palm smallholders must now move towards more sustainable.
“This is because oil palm smallholders are those who are the key players who experience the three pillars of environmental sustainability, namely social (people), ecological (planet), and economic (prosperity) aspects, also known as the 3Ps,” said Djono in his statement to sawitsetara.co, Wednesday (November 5, 2025).
Djono further elaborated on the reasons APKASINDO signed the MoU with RSPO.
First, APKASINDO is the largest oil palml smallholder association in Indonesia. Second, APKASINDO aims to encourage mindset transformations of oil palm smallholders towards sustainability.
“And RSPO is the good solution to achieve this 3Ps in a more sustainable fashion” he added.
According to APKASINDO, the principles of RSPO are to pursue sustainability, particularly principles 4 to 6, which strongly align with the conditions of oil palm smallholders, namely: respecting communities, providing opportunities for smallholder inclusion, and respecting workers’ rights.
“We want the 16 million smallholders and palm oil farming families across Indonesia to be increasingly recognized as the backbone of Indonesia’s economy and also as a source of sustainable sourcing for the world,” Djono emphasized.
Djono also conveyed that the Secretary General of DPP APKASINDO, Dr. Rino Afrino, ST., MM., C.APO, highlighted that oil palm smallholders must be viewed as part of the solution in building sustainable palm oil plantations, including through strategic partnerships between smallholders and companies.
“This is to create an upstream ecosystem that supports and elevates one another, so that strategic partnerships can be implemented to achieve the vision of a sustainable palm oil industry,” he said.
APKASINDO also expressed its views regarding the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), which emphasizes restrictions on importing palm oil linked to deforestation.
Djono stated that APKASINDO supports sustainability, but sustainability that is inclusive and considers the well-being of oil palm smallholders throughout Indonesia as the backbone of the national economy. Sustainability, he stressed, must provide support for compliance for smallholders, as part of efforts to include us in achieving global sustainability goals.
“At the same time, this serves to prove that there is no discrimination against oil palm smallholders,” Djono added.
