The associations chairman, Joko Supriyono, is scheduled to speak on Sept 6 on the action and position of the business people related to sustainability issues of the countrys largest commodity for foreign exchange.
"In addition to a formal discussion at the UN, we will also conduct a number of informal meetings with related stakeholders during our upcoming visit to the US," Supriyono noted in a written statement received by ANTARA on Saturday.
GAPKI and the representative of Indonesian government are invited by the UNDP, who have initiated forums on sustainability issues of some economic sectors, in a number of developing countries.
In addition to Indonesia, UNDP also invites representatives from the government and business people of Brazil and Liberia.
Oil palm has been Indonesias strategic sector for years, with US$18.5 billion of foreign exchange. The industries in this sector can also absorb more than 5 million workers and encourage economic growth in suburban areas.
"We agree that the management of oil palm plantations should be sustainable, and that is why we wanted to discuss with the UN the steps to achieve a sustainable palm oil management together," Supriyono explained.
The management of oil palm plantations in Indonesia, which are suspected of not implementing sustainable principles, has been a concern of the European Union and the US.
However, according to Supriyono, demand for palm oil from both regions continues to increase. In the first half of 2017, palm oil exported to the EU reached 2.7 million tons, an increase of 42 percent compared to the same period of the previous year of 1.9 million tons.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
