Amid the fastest rural transformation Malaysia and Indonesia have ever seen, big business is pushing back against efforts to overhaul the palm oil industry
In April, two very different public figures made declarations that reignited fevered discussion of Indonesia’s oil palm issue. First, fresh from accepting an Oscar for best actor, Leonardo DiCaprio posted a blog panning the management of Sumatra’s forests. Shortly afterwards, the country’s president, Joko Widodo, revealed plans for a moratorium on new oil palm concessions.