Surat Thani as the national model city for sustainable palm oil in Thailand

Surat Thani, which is home to hundreds of smallholders, are on a journey to be 100% RSPO Certified. Surat Thani and RSPO hopes to work together towards common objectives, including the realisation of sustainable palm oil development, helping stakeholders to secure access to the global market and for responsible palm oil entrepreneurs to obtain premium prices for their certified sustainable products. For farmers, the collaboration is intended to improve their quality of life and ensure continuous compensation. As such, smallholder coalitions such as the Community Enterprise Network of Sustainable Palm Oil Smallholders in Surat Thani are a role model for palm oil growers in upholding the RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C), such as implementing best practices, environmental responsibility and commitment to continuous improvement. Currently, Thailand ranks third globally among palm oil producers, with a combined plantation area of 992,000 ha, behind Indonesia (16.2 million ha) and Malaysia (6 million ha). But palm oil prices in Thailand have dropped for the past several years following policy to promote palm oil, which increased plantation area by 960,000 ha.