Indonesia Pushes Gender Equality to Boost Palm Oil Industry’s Competitiveness

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is seeking to strengthen gender equality across its palm oil industry along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) . Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Fauzi argued on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 that greater participation by women could help improve productivity, family welfare and the competitiveness of one of the country’s most important economic sectors.

Minister Arifah Fauzi said the palm oil industry makes a major contribution to Indonesia’s economy through job creation, foreign exchange earnings and community welfare. Indonesia accounts for about 60 percent of global palm oil production, while Malaysia accounts for around 30 percent, she said.

“Women have made significant contributions throughout the palm oil value chain,” Fauzi said at the “Socialization on the Guidelines for Gender Mainstreaming in the Palm Oil Sector.” She added that they still continue to face challenges in accessing resources, capacity-building opportunities, labor protection and decision-making roles.

The UNDP supported this sentiment by noting Indonesia’s palm oil industry that supports more than 16 million jobs and generates about $40 billion in exports annually. UNDP Indonesia’s deputy resident representative Sujala Pant said millions of women contribute to the industry but their roles are often unseen or undervalued.

Women in the sector include smallholder farmers, plantation workers, entrepreneurs, researchers, community leaders and technical experts, Pant said. However, many continue to face barriers to land, finance, technology, decent work and leadership opportunities.

“When women cannot participate fully, the sector as a whole , this sector that generates billions of dollars in the economy, loses talent, innovation, productivity and growth,” she said, describing gender equality as both a social justice issue and an economic imperative.

The government has introduced gender mainstreaming guidelines for the palm oil sector to help ministries, local governments, businesses and other stakeholders integrate gender perspectives into policies and development programs. The guidelines were launched during Indonesia’s Palm Oil Research Week on July 20, 2026.

UNDP, with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs through its Green Commodities Programme, is partnering with the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs to support the guidelines. Pant said the initiative is aimed at ensuring women and men have equitable access to skills, economic opportunities and finance, while increasing women’s representation in decision-making and leadership.

Pant said the approach is also consistent with Indonesia’s development priorities under its National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), which recognizes gender mainstreaming as a cross-sector strategy linked to reducing inequality, promoting decent work and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.