Indonesia court rejects bid to reinstate palm oil permits in Papua

A worker harvesting palm oil fruit in Aceh province on Sept 24, 2021. Indonesia has rejected a bid to reinstate palm oil plantations in Papua province. - AFP

JAKARTA (Reuters):An Indonesian court on Tuesday (Dec 7) rejected a bid by two companies to reinstate permits for palm oil plantations in its easternmost region of Papua, in what was seen as a test of the government's pledge to halt such land conversions to contain deforestation.

The verdict comes two months after Indonesia said it would not approve new palm oil permits even after the lapse of a moratorium on plantations.