PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (APKASINDO) has been active for 24 years, marking a long and dynamic journey. With its headquarters at the Ministry of Agriculture, the association has seen leadership transitions that reflect the spirit of cooperation among smallholders who are members of APKASINDO.
In May 2024, the fourth national meeting was held in Medan, a significant event for the association. Delegates from 22 provinces, each with an equal vote, elected Gulat ME Manurung as the Chairman of APKASINDO for a second term, extending his leadership until 2029.
On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, the new APKASINDO coordinators will be officially inaugurated at the Ministry of Agriculture’s auditorium. The ceremony will be led by the Chairman of the APKASINDO Supervisory Board, General of the Army (Ret.) Dr. Moeldoko.
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Manurung noted that the new coordinating team will be larger than in the previous term, reflecting the association’s growth in areas such as downstream development and international engagement within the palm oil industry.
“The smallholders, corporates, and the governments, should be ready to face any chance in the future,” he said, as in the official statement to Palmoilmagazine.com, Monday (7/5/2024).
The inauguration would be attended by some figures, such as, Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman, and Coordinator Minister in Maritime and Investment, Luhut Panjaitan. Besides, 22 provincial coordinators of APKASINDO and three new provinces – Papua Selatan, Papua Tengah, and East Java – would also attend the ceremony to listen to what the officials would say.
Not only that there would be 23 campus – partners of General Directorate of Plantation, Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency, and some ambassadors to export palm oil products from Indonesia, and other VVIP guests.
After the inauguration, there would be workshop about palm oil plantation governance. It would consist of two sessions. The first one would discuss about reinforcing palm oil (plantation) governance, and the second, it would focus to support the stakeholders in the smallholders’ fresh fruit bunch (FFB) downstream sector.
“The topics to be discussed would be very relevant with the latest issues, such as, to postpone European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the challenges about crude palm oil (CPO) debit and credit in this country namely about biodiesel and food, and the increasing CPO tariff in India,” Manurung said.
Heading to the leadership transition from President Joko Widodo to the elected President, Prabowo, Manurung really hoped that palm oil industries in Indonesia would be better in the new government. “We, as smallholders, would fully support,” he said.
With the optimism and new spirit, APKASINDO would be ready to face the future challenges and reinforce palm oil industries of Indonesia in the global scale – stage. (P2)
