Letters published, The Jakarta Globe 25th June.
Blame Game
Regarding “Ministry Blames Budget for Poor Forest Oversight” (June 16), it would make for a refreshing change if Forestry Minister Kaban for once accepted personal responsibility for the catastrophic destruction of rain forests and millions of animals. He is in charge, so, rightly, the buck stops with him.
We can only hope the call by Greenpeace for the Ministry of Forestry to be investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission is acted upon sooner rather than later.
Sean Whyte, Nature Alert
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In your story titled “EU Environmental Concerns Fail to Stick to Palm Oil as Q1 Imports Move Higher” (June 23), you state that the EU might be seeking to limit its crude palm oil imports. This is not true. Indonesia’s CPO exports are actually rising to the EU.
Surely, if it was true the EU was trying to limit Indonesia’s CPO exports, Indonesia’s CPO exports would have fallen. The rather simple answer that I want to underline is that Indonesia’s CPO exports to the EU are rising because the EU is trying to boost them, not stop them.
First, Indonesia’s CPO exports will continue to enjoy full and unimpeded access to the EU market, regardless of how the palm oil is produced. Second, Indonesia’s CPO exports will continue to enter the EU at the same tariff rates as in the past.
The point reported in your story that the EU is proposing a ban on the use of crude palm oil for biofuel is simply incorrect.
In fact, the EU plans to offer additional incentives and help to those Indonesian exporters who are producing and processing palm oil in an eco-friendly way. The rationale for this is that the EU is trying to promote the use of biofuels within the EU, and one such potential biofuel is palm oil. However, those extra incentives will only be given to those Indonesian exporters who are producing and processing in an eco-friendly way because the objective of the whole policy is to be kinder to the environment.
Does this additional incentive hurt existing exporters who are not producing in an eco-friendly way? No. All of Indonesia’s palm oil exporters continue to enjoy exactly the same access at the same tariff rates as before, regardless of how they produce and process the palm oil.
Julian Wilson, Delegation of the European Commission to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam
http://thejakartaglobe.com/letters/your-letters-june-25/314277
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