PALMOILMAGAZINE, YOGYAKARTA – The Director of Oil Palm and Palmae Crops at the Directorate General of Plantations, Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Baginda Siagian, M.Si., welcomed the new students of INSTIPER Yogyakarta for the 2025/2026 academic year. He delivered an online keynote lecture at the academic year opening on September 2, 2025, and later met the freshmen in person during the OKKABUN 2025 program at SEAT Ungaran on September 8, 2025.
Baginda addressed the 840 new students of INSTIPER, including 150 undergraduate scholarship recipients supported by the Directorate General of Plantations and the Palm Oil Fund Management Agency (BPDP). In his speech, he congratulated the freshmen for joining what he called “the best higher education institution in Indonesia specializing in plantations.”
He emphasized the urgent challenge of improving palm oil productivity, particularly in smallholder plantations. “At present, productivity is only around 3.3 tons per hectare, but it has the potential to reach 5–6 tons per hectare. That’s why I encourage the educators at INSTIPER to equip students with strong knowledge and practical skills so they can become the next generation of resilient pioneers in palm oil development,” he stated.
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During his visit to OKKABUN, Baginda expressed strong support for the program, which combines campus and field orientation. He praised INSTIPER as a comprehensive higher education institution that not only provides academic knowledge but also instills discipline from the very start and equips students with practical and co-curricular training. This, he said, is crucial in preparing graduates as skilled human resources for the palm oil sector.
“We fully support the learning process at INSTIPER, which includes intra-, extra-, and co-curricular programs that prepare students for both business and industry. Beyond earning a degree, INSTIPER graduates also gain professional competency certificates from BNSP, setting them apart from graduates of other universities,” Baginda explained.
The OKKABUN activities at SEAT Ungaran (September 6–9, 2025) introduced students to various plantation and forestry crops, including oil palm, coffee, rubber, cocoa, tea, teak, jabon, sengon, and several horticultural commodities.
Baginda also reaffirmed the government’s and BPDP’s commitment to continuing the Palm Oil Human Resource Scholarship Program to ensure the sustainability of Indonesia’s palm oil industry. “Palm oil is the largest foreign exchange earner in Indonesia’s agricultural subsector. Therefore, we must continuously strengthen human resources to maintain its sustainability. And the key players in this effort will be you—the young generation currently studying at INSTIPER Yogyakarta,” he said.
He closed by highlighting the importance of regeneration in the palm oil sector. “With the Palm Oil HR Scholarship program, regeneration is already happening. In the next 15–20 years, the golden era of Indonesia’s palm oil industry will be in your hands. This requires human resources with integrity and strong character to ensure the sustainability of Indonesia’s palm oil sector,” he concluded. (P3)
