PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA — Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food (SMAF) and French agricultural research institute CIRAD have officially renewed their long-standing strategic partnership to further strengthen sustainable palm oil practices in Indonesia. The signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) marks the continuation of a collaboration that began in 1996.
Over nearly three decades, this partnership has generated joint investments exceeding IDR 550 billion in research and development (R&D) initiatives. These efforts have focused on sustainable palm oil production, environmental stewardship, and precision agriculture technologies.
The collaboration also includes WWF Indonesia, a co-founder of the International Conference on Oil Palm and the Environment (ICOPE), which reconvened in February 2025. At this year’s conference, international researchers and young academics presented fresh insights on climate resilience and biodiversity conservation within the palm oil sector.
In an official statement to Palmoilmagazine.com on Sunday (June 1, 2025), SMAF President Director The Biao Leng underscored the value of combining global science with field-based research to address the evolving challenges of Indonesia’s palm oil industry. “Our partnership with CIRAD enables the development of innovative and practical solutions—not just for our plantations but also for independent smallholders across the country,” he said.
The renewed MoU broadens the scope of collaboration to include the development of crop modeling and climate impact simulations. These tools aim to help smallholders improve productivity and adapt to the increasing risks posed by climate change.
This partnership also supports several international research projects, including the Sustainable Palm Oil Production (SPOP) program funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and the International Oil Palm Genome Project (OPGP) consortium, which seeks to deepen genetic understanding of oil palm crops.
Jean-Marc Roda, CIRAD’s Regional Director for Southeast Asian Island Nations, described the partnership as a benchmark for sustainable transformation in the palm oil sector. “Our collaboration blends scientific rigor with real-world impact, tackling major issues such as land-use efficiency, climate resilience, and smallholder inclusion,” he said.
Through agroforestry approaches developed under this partnership, SMAF and CIRAD also contribute to strengthening national food security and reducing carbon emissions—supporting Indonesia’s broader sustainable development agenda. (P2)
