The press is seen as playing a crucial role in delivering balanced and critical coverage while helping the public better understand the industry’s sustainability practices. The issue emerged during a journalism workshop jointly organized by the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) and the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) in Yogyakarta. The forum was designed to broaden journalists’ understanding of the palm oil industry while strengthening communication around sustainable and environmentally responsible plantation practices. GAPKI Chairman Eddy Martono said Yogyakarta was deliberately chosen because the city is not known as a major palm oil-producing region. The workshop therefore provided an opportunity to introduce the wider role of palm oil to communities outside Indonesia’s main plantation areas. According to Eddy, palm oil-based products are closely connected to everyday economic activities and consumer needs, including their use in local batik production and a wide range of household products. Karhutla Rules Remain a Concern Despite the industry’s economic contribution, palm oil companies continue to face regulatory challenges, particularly in relation to forest and land fires, or karhutla, and the application of the strict liability principle under Article 88 of Law No. 32 of 2009. Eddy said GAPKI member companies are often involved in firefighting operations even when fires occur outside their concessions, including in parts of West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Riau. The challenge arises when a fire originating outside a concession subsequently spreads into a company’s plantation area. “If a fire occurs—even when it is proven that the fire originated outside the concession and then entered it—we are automatically considered negligent. Yet no company or community would deliberately burn its own assets,” Eddy said in an official statement received by on Saturday (Aug. 29, 2026). GAPKI, he added, has proposed an addendum or exemption clause in existing regulations, particularly for situations involving extreme weather conditions that significantly increase fire risks. Journalists Urged to Rely on Data PWI Central Executive Chairman Akhmad Munir said the media has an important role in responding to negative narratives surrounding Indonesia’s palm oil industry in the international arena. Environmental and labor issues, he said, can sometimes become part of international business competition and potentially be used to discredit Indonesian palm oil products. Munir urged journalists to prioritize empirical evidence when reporting on the palm oil sector while continuing to exercise their watchdog function when problems occur. “The main challenge for the palm oil industry is proving that its governance benefits society. The world needs palm oil because it is the most productive vegetable oil,” he said. He stressed that responsible journalism should not simply defend the industry. Media organizations must remain critical of malpractice while encouraging the implementation of good corporate governance. Palm Oil Seen as a Strategic National Asset University of Jember professor Ermanto Fahamsyah described palm oil as one of Indonesia’s major national assets. Its contribution, he said, extends beyond foreign-exchange earnings to employment creation and support for national food and energy security. Senior INDEF economist and President of ASAE Bustanul Arifin meanwhile emphasized the need to strengthen the upstream sector, particularly smallholder plantations. He also called for stronger international diplomacy as domestic energy demand rises and global trade regulations become increasingly stringent. “Sustainable palm oil is a national necessity, not merely a response to pressure from abroad,” Bustanul said. Among the measures he highlighted were accelerating smallholder replanting to narrow the yield gap, expanding ISPO and RSPO certification, and developing fairer partnership models between farmers, state-owned enterprises and private companies. Press Freedom and National Interests PWI Central Executive Board Education Division Chairman Agus Sudibyo said press freedom must go hand in hand with awareness of national interests. He argued that other countries also place national interests at the center of efforts to develop and protect domestic industries. “Press freedom is universal. But national welfare has a higher value,” Agus said. He stressed that Indonesian media should remain critical when problems emerge in the palm oil sector, while also recognizing the commodity’s strategic economic importance. Agus identified several major roles of palm oil, including its contribution to non-oil-and-gas foreign exchange earnings, employment, regional economies, national energy resilience through biodiesel, and the supply of vegetable oils and raw materials for the food industry. The workshop concluded with a shared expectation that journalists will develop a more comprehensive understanding of palm oil, enabling coverage that remains critical and fact-based while presenting the industry’s complex dynamics to the public.