Palm Oil Companies Urged to Detect Early Signs of Harvester Turnover

Harry Agug Pratama, Dept Head of HR Business Partner & Organisation Development at PT Pasifik Agro Sentosa, said the company has developed a monitoring system as part of its efforts to retain harvesters. He shared the approach during IPS Planter Talks 2026 Series 1, themed “Palm Oil Human Resources Emergency,” held on Saturday (September 19, 2026). Rather than waiting until a shortage occurs and then recruiting new workers, companies also need to monitor their existing workforce, Harry explained. Changes in employee behavior can provide an indication that a worker may be considering leaving the company. Attendance is one of the...

Palm Oil Sector Records High VAT Overpayment Exposure, UI Study Finds

The study examined the ratio of VAT overpayments to cash and cash equivalents at 16 publicly listed companies over 10 quarters, covering the period from the first quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2026. As reported by , the study, titled Formulation and Implementation of VAT Refunds for Sustainable Economic Growth, was released on September 16, 2026. Researchers found that VAT overpayment exposure was not evenly distributed among companies. Instead, the exposure tended to be concentrated in particular industries and businesses with specific transaction characteristics. Palm Oil Issuer's Ratio Reaches 157.2% Within the palm oil sector, one listed...

Indonesia Agrarian Reform Bill Draws Scrutiny Over Palm Oil Land Conflicts and Plantation Workers

The House of Representatives’ Legislative Body, or Baleg, formed a working committee (Panja) in September 2026 to discuss the bill with the government. For the palm oil sector, the proposed legislation could have implications for communities, smallholders and plantation companies involved in longstanding land disputes. Sawit Watch Executive Director Achmad Surambo said several provisions in the draft need further clarification to ensure agrarian reform can address actual land tenure and redistribution issues rather than focusing mainly on administrative procedures. One issue concerns the proposed objects of agrarian reform. Article 30 of the draft reportedly includes former Cultivation Rights (HGU) land...

Around 200 Palm Oil Scholarship Candidates Reportedly Lose Their Selection Status

The information was contained in an open letter addressed to the President Director of the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP). Signed by representatives of Palm Oil Scholarship alumni, the letter calls for clarity over the status of the affected candidates. According to the letter, the candidates had previously been officially declared successful and were subsequently included in an official coordination group for scholarship recipients. The situation reportedly changed after their selection status was cancelled. The alumni representatives attributed the cancellation to technical issues involving PDDIKTI and LLDIKTI data synchronization. For the affected candidates, the issue reportedly extends beyond an administrative...

MPOC Brings Palm Oil Bioactive Research Into Focus at India Forum

The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) brought the discussion to India through Palm Conversations International India 2026 (PCI), held in Mumbai on August 24. The forum gathered researchers, healthcare professionals, nutrition experts, policymakers and industry representatives to discuss palm oil, nutrition and emerging research on bioactive compounds. Held under the theme “Bioactive Power from the Palm: Reimagining Health for a World Facing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs),” the event was also positioned as part of efforts to strengthen scientific and commercial ties between Malaysia and India, one of Malaysia’s major palm oil markets. Among the studies discussed was a review examining the...

East Kutai Urges Palm Oil Companies to Strengthen Gender-Responsive Work Practices

The approach is intended to help create workplaces that are safe, fair and humane while providing equal opportunities for male and female workers. According to the East Kutai administration, gender-responsive employment policies need to recognize that male and female workers can have different needs and circumstances. The approach is also expected to strengthen labor protection, particularly for women working in the palm oil sector. DPPPA East Kutai policy analyst Femmy Macawalang said the local government already had policy foundations related to gender mainstreaming and would continue strengthening implementation through collaboration with stakeholders. She said gender-responsive policies should not simply mean...

USU Researchers Call for Sociology and Anthropology to Strengthen Palm Oil Smallholder Partnerships

USU social and economic researcher Yusak Maryunianta said company–smallholder partnerships and conflict resolution have often relied heavily on formal regulatory or legal mechanisms and material considerations. However, conflicts originating from palm oil partnership arrangements can affect broader community relations, social structures and cultural life. Yusak made the remarks during a public consultation discussion organized by Rumah Sawit Indonesia (RSI) and USU in Medan. The discussion carried the theme “Smallholder–Company Partnerships in Building Reliable and Competitive Smallholders through Land Intensification and Industrialization.” According to Yusak, a fair and sustainable partnership should begin with a better understanding of local communities. From a...

Indonesia Pushes Gender Mainstreaming in Palm Oil Sector to Boost Women’s Productivity

Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifah Fauzi said the government’s gender mainstreaming guidelines for the palm oil sector were not intended to create additional burdens for companies. Instead, the guidelines are designed to ensure that women involved in the plantation industry have their rights protected while being given greater opportunities to improve their productivity. “The gender mainstreaming guidelines for the palm oil plantation sector are not intended to make things difficult for companies, but to ensure that women involved in the palm oil plantation sector can become more productive,” Arifah said during the Socialisation of Gender Mainstreaming...

Karhutla Policy Draws Criticism as Sawit Watch Says Palm Oil Workers Remain Unprotected

Sawit Watch said Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 11 of 2026 on Strengthening Enforcement of the Ban on Land Clearing by Burning and Controlling Forest and Land Fires has not adequately addressed the protection of palm oil plantation workers. In a press statement dated Sept. 10, 2026, Sawit Watch Executive Director Achmad Surambo said forest and land fires in several palm oil-producing areas had directly affected workers. The Ministry of Health recorded more than 10 million people affected by forest and land fires across seven provinces: West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Jambi, Riau and South Sumatra. Surambo said...

GAPKI Warns Unregulated Palm Oil Mills Threaten Indonesia’s Supply Chain Traceability

GAPKI has warned that poorly supervised mills could contribute to a range of problems, including fresh fruit bunch (FFB) theft, plantation-related conflicts and difficulties in tracing the origin of palm oil feedstock. The issue was raised during a multi-stakeholder forum titled Strengthening a Transparent, Inclusive and Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chain, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jakarta on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The forum brought together government representatives, industry players, farmer organizations, academics, international development partners and civil society groups. GAPKI Deputy Chairman for General Affairs II, Susanto, said the palm oil industry plays a strategic...

Ahead of EUDR, Indonesia Urged to Regulate Loading Ramps and Palm Oil Mills Without Plantations

The facilities serve as collection points where Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) from independent smallholders are purchased, weighed, sorted, consolidated, and subsequently delivered to palm oil mills. The issue was discussed by Dr. M. Windrawan Inantha, Strategic Advisor at CECT Sustainability, Universitas Trisakti, during a multi-stakeholder forum titled Strengthening a Transparent, Inclusive and Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chain that Meets ISPO and EUDR Requirements, organized by UNDP Indonesia in Jakarta on September 10, 2026. Speaking during a session on the dynamics of loading ramps and palm oil mills without plantations, Windrawan said loading ramps should not automatically be treated as a...

Sumatra, Kalimantan Forest Fires Raise Safety Concerns for Palm Oil Workers

The Transnational Palm Oil Labour Solidarity (TPOLS) network has raised concerns about the protection of plantation workers amid deteriorating air quality. According to the network, workers in several palm oil plantations have reportedly been required to continue working despite heavy smoke reducing visibility and making breathing more difficult. Citing a statement received by on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, TPOLS said the situation had been reported at plantation sites in both Kalimantan and Sumatra. Workers said plantation activities continued even as smoke began to affect their breathing and daily work in the field. One of the workers, Damianus Fansi, from Central...

BRIN Calls for Research-Driven Diversification of Indonesia’s Downstream Palm Oil Products

The agency is promoting broader diversification of palm oil-based products as part of an effort to strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesia’s palm oil industry and create greater added value from the country’s strategic commodity. As reported by from BRIN on Wednesday (September 9, 2026), Hens Saputra, Head of BRIN’s Research Center for Process Technology, said the development of the palm oil industry should increasingly be viewed through the lens of value creation. “It's not about how much palm oil is produced, but how much value can be added,” Hens said. In his view, this perspective opens opportunities to position palm...

Bappenas Says Palm Oil Downstreaming Must Begin with Upstream Sector Reform

Rachmat made the statement during a visit to a palm oil processing facility using Steamless Palm Oil Technology (SPOT) at the INSTIPER Yogyakarta campus on Saturday, September 5, 2026. During the visit, Rachmat highlighted the importance of increasing plantation productivity, improving resource efficiency, and strengthening environmental management as part of efforts to reinforce Indonesia’s palm oil industry. According to him, the government’s downstreaming agenda will not achieve optimal results if problems in the upstream or on-farm sector remain unresolved. “The essence is that Bappenas has been tasked with handling downstreaming. Palm oil downstreaming can only happen if the on-farm sector...

SPKS: Palm Oil Plantation Enforcement in Forest Areas Must Be Followed by Legal Certainty

Marselinus Andri, Head of Advocacy at the Smallholders Palm Oil Union (SPKS), made the statement during the Pre-National Conference Webinar on Smallholder Plantations II attended by , on Friday, September 4, 2026. According to Andri, enforcement measures undertaken by the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) have yet to answer the central questions of who owns or controls the land, how control over the land was established, and what legal certainty is available to farmers who have been managing the plantations. He said spatial mapping is important as an initial step, but it cannot be the sole basis for...

Indonesia Tightens Palm Oil Governance, TBS Pricing Oversight

The policy direction was outlined during the Ministry of Agriculture’s Palm Oil Governance Socialization and Coordination event held on September 2, 2026. The government views FFB pricing as an important mechanism to protect partner smallholders, ensure market access for their harvests, secure raw material supplies for palm oil mills, and prevent unfair business practices. The framework is based, among other regulations, on Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 13 of 2024 concerning the Purchase of FFB Produced by Partner Smallholders. Regional Teams to Determine FFB Prices Under the mechanism, FFB prices are determined by the head of the provincial agriculture agency...

Indonesian Lawmaker Urges Palm Oil to Become a Major Energy Source

Ateng made the remarks during a limited discussion forum organized by Rumah Sawit Indonesia in cooperation with IPB University in Bogor. The discussion also touched on the direction of national environmental and climate policies. reported from Ateng Sutisna’s statement at the forum on Monday (August 31, 2026), that palm oil-based energy development should be considered in national policymaking as the government and parliament work on revisions to environmental legislation and prepare a Climate Change Law. Palm Oil for Food, Feed and Energy Ateng said palm oil has strategic potential because its development can involve communities while supporting national priorities. He...

Indonesia Accelerates Smallholder Oil Palm Replanting in East Kutai to Boost ISPO Certification

The PSR initiative targets approximately 1,900 hectares of smallholder oil palm plantations in East Kutai, supported by funding from Indonesia’s Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) of Rp60 million per hectare. According to an official statement from Solidaridad received by on Thursday, September 3, 2026, the program is expected to involve around 900 smallholders. The replanting process will prioritize certified high-quality planting materials to improve fresh fruit bunch (FFB) productivity while maintaining the economic sustainability of farming communities. Aging Plantations Put Smallholder Incomes Under Pressure Oil palm cultivation in East Kutai expanded rapidly from around 1999 through the early 2000s. After...

West Kalimantan Records 6,526 Hotspots as Link-AR Borneo Calls for Palm Oil Governance Review

According to a statement from Link-AR Borneo received by on Thursday, September 3, 2026, data from Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry’s SiPongi monitoring system showed 6,526 hotspots in West Kalimantan as of August 29, 2026. The figure was nearly double the number recorded one day earlier and placed West Kalimantan second among Indonesia’s six priority provinces for forest and land fire management, behind Central Kalimantan. Across the six provinces, 20,378 hotspots were recorded. Hazardous Air Quality Raises Public Health Concerns The fires have also contributed to severe air pollution in parts of West Kalimantan. IQAir monitoring showed that Pontianak’s air quality...

Bengkalis Palm Oil Plantation Owner Named Suspect in Alleged Illegal Use of 4-Hectare Forest Area

The case emerged during police handling of a forest and land fire (karhutla) in Buluh Apo Village, Pinggir District, Bengkalis Regency. , citing Antara on September 1, 2026, reported that Bengkalis Police Chief AKBP Fahrian Saleh Siregar said the legal action formed part of efforts to address forest and land fires while also taking action against suspected illegal activities in forest areas. “This disclosure demonstrates the seriousness of the Indonesian National Police in handling forest and land fires while taking action against illegal activities carried out in forest areas,” Fahrian said. JFP was named a suspect on August 29, 2026,...