PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The palm oil industry in Indonesia plays a vital role in the economy. Endowed with fertile land, Indonesia has emerged as the world’s leading producer of palm oil, serving as a crucial source of revenue and contributing to the welfare of its people.
Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has significantly impacted economic progress across various sectors, the agricultural sector, particularly palm oil plantations, has demonstrated resilience.
Andi Nur Alamsyah, the General Director of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Plantation Division, emphasized in a speech delivered by Dhani Ghartina, Head of the General Department of the General Directorate of Plantation at the Ministry of Agriculture, that the palm oil industry is experiencing rapid development and has become a cornerstone of the economy for millions of people who depend on this sector.
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“These industries play the roles to realize poverty alleviation and gap by creating employment and deliver wider multiplier effects,” Andi noted in the 2024 Seminar Nasional Planters Indonesia (SNPI) with the theme “Penerapan Inovasi Terkini Untuk Got increasedkan Produktivitas Kelapa Sawit dan Menuju Sawit Baik,” Wednesday (15/5/2024) that Palmoilmagazine.com attended in Jakarta.
42% of the total palm oil plantations in Indonesia is belong and cultivated by smallholders. But their plantation productivity is less than it cultivated by the private sectors. This made the smallholders live in the line of poverty. “To solve it, the government through Ministry of Agriculture would keep doing the best to escalate their plantation production and productivity,” he said.
It is not easy to develop palm oil plantations in this country. There are many challenges to face, such as, environment, overlapping areas, and climate change. The government through many policies and regulations has tried to solve such issues. Ministry of Agriculture and Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA) would keep supporting the program and plans to escalate the productivity and production.
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Referring to Government’s Regulation Number 24 / 2015 and President’s Regulation Number 66 / 2018, the government published four main activities to develop sustainable palm oil plantations. They consist of human resource development, smallholders replanting program, and palm oil advantages.
“Research and development would also play the significant roles to realize sustainable palm oil plantations. It is hope, research and development would escalate plantation productivity and create new products which eventually would escalate the smallholders’ welfare,” he said.
With the spirit to realize sustainable and independent palm oil plantations, many things would be done to escalate the productivity and smallholders’ welfare. “The government and other stakeholders should always cooperate to face the challenges and take advantages on opportunity to develop palm oil industries in Indonesia,” Andi said. (T2)
