Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is urging stakeholders at the central and regional levels to commit to increasing commodity production by using an approach based on the Sustainable Jurisdictions Indicators (SJI).

The Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency stated that the use of this approach can help regions increase sustainability by formulating targeted policies and providing financial assistance.

"The Sustainable Jurisdictions Indicators are a crucial tool for Indonesia to showcase its progress to the world," noted Anang Noegroho, the ministry's ad interim Food Director, in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

He explained that the indicators raise districts' awareness of the benefits they can derive from strengthening their commitments to sustainability.

The SJI-based approach is a method that uses a set of indicators to measure sustainable and inclusive commodity production at the district level.

Furthermore, the indicators enable districts to demonstrate their sustainable agricultural productions and strengthen sustainable trade and investment, aiming to promote sustainable, legal, and deforestation-free production.

The ministry is continuing to develop the platform to devise global market indicators and add to the palm oil supply chain traceability module. This development aims to help the country meet the new due diligence requirements adopted in upcoming international regulations.

In its effort to raise awareness of the importance of SJI, the ministry is collaborating with the European Forest Institute, Surveyor Indonesia, Javlec, the University of Indonesia, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to hold workshops on the indicators.

The first workshop, held in Jakarta, brought together around 100 participants from ministries, district governments, private business actors, and civil society.

The participants were provided with information on SJI, related data platforms, the benefits of SJI for supply chain actors, available assistance for helping districts and farmers transition to sustainability, and proposals for boosting commodity traceability according to global market requirements.

Following the Jakarta SJI workshop, a series of workshops is scheduled to take place in the coming months in Indonesia's major palm oil-producing regions, including a district-level workshop in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on June 20, 2023.

The workshop will be followed by several additional workshops in West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Aceh, North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, and Central Sulawesi.

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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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