RSPO Roadshow gathers stakeholders in West Kalimantan

Roadshow provides platform for further collaboration

RSPO recently hosted a roadshow in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on 13-14 March, gathering industry stakeholders to improve understanding and share the latest information on sustainable palm oil practices.

The two-day roadshow provided a platform for RSPO and industry players, smallholders, academia, media, and local civil society to collaborate further. A panel discussion; “Strengthening Sustainability of the Palm Oil Supply Chain,” was a key part of the agenda for the first day. Speakers were representatives from various industries, including the Regional Office of Estate Crops (West Kalimantan province), Cargill, civil society group Link-AR Borneo, certified smallholder group manager KUD Tani Subur, and RSPO. Following the panel session, discussions continued with specific “RSPO Clinic” sessions for companies and smallholders interested in learning more about RSPO and its certification.

Smallholder group shares experience

Cooperative KUD Tani Subur is an independent smallholder group in Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, that was certified by RSPO in October 2017. Group manager Bapak Sutiyana shared his experience, including the initial challenges and the benefits received through RSPO certification. He encouraged fellow smallholders in attendance by affirming that RSPO certification is indeed possible for independent smallholders.

On the second day, RSPO hosted public lectures at Tanjung Pura University on Sustainable Palm Oil and Certification. For university students, RSPO presented the importance of sustainable palm oil practices, RSPO certification, and the important role consumers play in supporting the process. One of the winners of RSPO’s Youth Leader in Sustainability competition from last year, Andrian Pramana, presented the consumer-focused topic.

RSPO seeks more sustainable approach in West Kalimantan

RSPO also held a dialogue with local civil society to better understand the issues and challenges of palm oil production from their local perspective, and discussed the opportunity to collaborate on implementing a more sustainable approach for cultivation in West Kalimantan.

Pontianak was the third province RSPO visited in West Kalimantan, after East and Central Kalimantan. In Sumatera, RSPO has already visited Jambi, Riau, South Sumatera, and West Sumatera.

Keep up to date with the latest RSPO events here.