Indonesia Must Boost Palm Yields To Save Forests

Indonesia needs to squeeze far higher yields from existing palm oil plantations rather than open up more land in a country with some of the world’s swiftest deforestation, a Greenpeace official said on Monday.

Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, yields only about 2 tonnes per hectare from its plantations, or just a third of the 6 to 7 tonnes in countries such as Malaysia with better estate management practices, said Annette Cotter, campaign manager for the forests campaign in Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
“What’s interesting about palm oil in Indonesia is that the current plantations actually yield a very, very poor return,” Cotter said, speaking as part of the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit.

Indonesia has 7.1 million hectares, or 17.5 million acres of palm oil estates, with smallholders accounting for about 35 percent, but is looking to expand further.

In a controversial move, Indonesia’s agriculture ministry said last month it would allow 8 percent of its 25 million hectares of peatlands, which harbour huge carbon stocks, to be used for palm oil, ending a freeze on permits dating from December 2007.

“You don’t need to expand into further forest and further peatland to get increased economic benefits from palm oil,” said Cotter, calling the move to end the freeze on peatlands “a total disaster”.

Planet Ark