The implementation of Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2018 concerning the Postponement and Evaluation of Permits for Oil Palm Plantations and Increasing the Productivity of Oil Palm Plantations (Inpres Moratorium Sawit) ended on 19 September 2021. However, until this writing was written, there was no clarity from the government regarding the continuation of this Presidential Instruction, whether it was officially discontinued or if it would be extended.

Several mass media have interviewed and tried to find information from relevant officials from Ministries/Institutions mandated by the Presidential Instruction. However, the answers received varied, ranging from granting permits in forest areas for oil palm to be postponed even though the Presidential Instruction had ended,1 or the Presidential Instruction would be continued with a derivative regulation of Law No. 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation (Job Creation Law). These mutually contradictory statements certainly raise uncertainty and questions from the public. Even though it was only a few months before that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry had stated that there was a good impact from the Palm Oil Moratorium Presidential Instruction and this policy was still relevant to pushing Indonesia’s target towards zero emissions by 2030…see attached document