"Farmers dispute palm oil prosperity claims", 3 November 2018

Farmers have challenged claims that the palm oil industry has brought prosperity to smallholders and reduced poverty, as millions still struggle to get land ownership documents and earn enough money to meet their basic needs. 

The chairman of the Bogor-based Oil Palm Smallholders Union, Mansuetus Darto, said the better welfare of farmers and sustainable development goals (SDG) could be achieved when farmers secure their land rights and the government sets a minimum price for fresh fruit bunches (TBS), as well as establishes fairer partnerships with companies. 

“Their lives depend on the TBS price. If [the price] goes down then they would be in poverty, and they will not be able to buy food or meet their basic needs,” he said.... 

The government and the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association claimed that the industry...has contributed to the SDGs by reducing the number of people in poverty. 

...The Association of Indonesian Oil Palm Farmers secretary for Kuantan Singingi regency, Imrialis, said what the government had done was not enough, as the basic problem for smallholders was that they did not own land.