PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The ongoing challenge of online palm oil seed distribution/trade remains a concern. The Ministry of Agriculture, through the General Directorate of Plantation, has imposed a ban on the unrestricted sale of palm oil sprouts through online or electronic (e)-commerce platforms.
Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that every planter obtains certified high-quality seeds to enhance plantation production and productivity while upholding quality standards.
According to Andi Nur Alam Syah, the General Director of Plantation, expressed concerns regarding the potential risks associated with purchasing palm oil sprouts online, citing issues such as uncertain quality and lack of clear producer sources, which could result in losses for planters.
Also Read: Eliminating Illegal Palm Oil Plantations: A Critical Governance Challenge in Indonesia
“If the planters planted the seeds (bought from online/e-commerce), crude palm oil (CPO) production would be hopeless, namely if the planters did not care about the nursery,” he said, as Palmoilmagazine.com quoted from the official page of Ministry of Agriculture, Thursday (15/2/2024).
Andi Nur also explained that his institution did many things to protect every planter from planting illegal seeds through e-commerce, such as, establishing task force. It consists of General Director of Plantation, Forum Komunikasi Produsen Benih Kelapa Sawit, idEA, marketplace association, and Ministry of Trade. The task foce would regularly monitor palm oil seed distribution through e-commerce.
Director of Plantation Seeds General Directorate of Plantation, Gunawan emphasized that the monitoring and discipline would keep running as long as illegal palm oil seed selling is still happening through marketplaces. The task force would do the best to monitor it.
It has been since May 2023 until now. The illegal selling decreased through marketplace but the institution would vanish it from e-commerce. (T2)
