The government of South Sumatera is adopting Verified Source Area (VSA) method in thousand hectares of oil palm plantation in Musi Banyuasin Regency to make sure the plantations are outside of protected forest area. This verification is also aimed to respond to negative campaign telling that oil palm plantations are built on protected forest.

Having implemented B20 mandatory program, Indonesia has a plan in place to boost the use of biodiesel by rolling out B30, a blend of 30 percent by volume biodiesel with 70 percent by volume petroleum diesel.

Having achieved impressive result in a road test, Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (IOPRI) continues to develop fuel with 50 percent biodiesel content (B50) to be used in transportation sector.

The Indonesian Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) organized a capacity building program to help employees to achieve their own development objectives by knowing deeply about sustainable palm oil.

Export prospects for Indonesian palm oil in 2019 looks positive amid global economy slowdown and trade barriers in some export destination countries. According to Chairman of Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) Joko Supriyono, palm oil industry remains promising because of huge contribution of crude palm oil (CPO) export. Exporters has also set their eyes on wooing more buyers from non-traditional markets apart from Europe.

An in-depth analysis by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Oil Palm Task Force says banning palm oil would most likely increase the production of other oil crops to meet global demand for vegetable oil.

INDONESIAN state energy company PT Pertamina has signed agreements with Italian oil company Eni SpA to develop a so-called green refinery in Indonesia and to process a palm-based fuel mixture in Italy. The signing agreement in Rome, Italy, Wednesday (30/1/2019), included three agreements.

PRESIDENT Director of the Indonesian Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) Dono Boestami reiterated his view that palm oil has significantly contributed to economic benefits and to UN\'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dono\'s statement came as he spoke at the Palm Oil Stakeholder Forum in the International Green Week Berlin in Berlin, Germany, (22/1/2019). "Palm oil sector has contributed to economic benefits such as economic growth, export and trade balance increase, inflation decrease, and to replace fossil-based fuel with renewable energy to increase national energy security," Dono said. Palm oil contribution to Indonesia trade balance is significant.

The Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) has made formal decision to support the government to refuse a concept proposed by the European Union Commision on Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) and Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) that will classify palm oil as a high risk vegetable oil. On it press release, (29/1/2019), DMSI said that it will not involve in any discussion on RED II and ILUC, both in local and international stage.