Oil Palm Planters Should Adopt Sustainable Practices, Says Food Security Advocate

From Farhana Poniman MEDAN, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Oil palm planters should adopt sustainable practices to reduce deforestation and ensure food security, says Professor Tim Benton of the University of Leeds. He said unsustainable production would lead to cheap food, over consumption, wastage and eventually negative environmental impact such as climate change. "Severe storms, caused by extreme deforestation, has already come to this part of the world. We still have time and we need to act now," Benton told the 11th Annual Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) here Tuesday. He said there was growing consumer-driven demand for sustainability in oil palm trading, however, distrust and cynicism persisted. Benton, the key advocate for the United Kingdom’s Global Food Security Programme, said the RSPO must push the bar higher every year to heighten trust and transparency in the palm oil business. Earlier, Indonesian Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi suggested that the next round table meeting should be held in Europe to give consumers there a better understanding of the industry. The three-day meeting, which began Tuesday, saw more than 600 delegates from 30 countries comprising stakeholders from all sectors of the industry. This year’s conference, themed “RSPO Standard 2013: Understand. Apply. Embrace”, would see speeches, presentations and panel discussions from global experts. The round table will also focus on communication to RSPO members the organisation’s revised principles & criteria, which is revised every five years. The revision is part of the RSPO’s continuing effort to improve the relevance and effectiveness of the P&C for its members in the journey towards achieving the organisation’s vision and mission. -- BERNAMA