PALMOILMAGAZINE, MUARA ENIM – In a concerted effort to maintain palm oil as a cornerstone commodity, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Plantation and with financial support from the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA), conducted comprehensive training sessions on harvesting and post-harvest techniques for 144 smallholders in South Sumatra Province.
This initiative took place on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, with 56 participants hailing from the Regency of Musi Banyuasin (Muba) and 88 from the Regency of Muaraenim.
Highlighting the importance of human resource development in ensuring sustainable palm oil plantations, Director of Plantation Protection, Hendratmojo Bagus Hudoro, underscored the significance of enhancing the capacity of individuals involved in the industry.
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“Reinforcing human resources would be the significant factors to develop palm oil plantations in the future. The trainings should be taken for advantages by the smallholders optimally,” he said, as Palmoilmagazine.com quoted from the official page of General Directorate of Plantation, (6/5/2024).
Meanwhile, Director of Akademi Komunitas Perkebunan Stiper Yogyakarta (AKPY STIPER), Sri Gunawan said that the participants got trainings about harvest and post-harvest technic by experienced trainers. It started from how to correctly harvest (fresh fruit bunch/FFB) in standards and send to mill less than 24 hours to maintain FFB quality.
“It is hoped, the smallholders from the two regencies would escalate their harvest quality to escalate their economy by having the trainings,” Sri Gunawan said.
Head of Plantation Agency South Sumatera Province, Agus Darwa also mentioned palm oil human resource development would be one significant investment to escalate smallholders’ competency in the two regions.
Last year information showed that South Sumatera Province delivered about 1.237 smallholders to get trainings that General Directorate of Plantation recommended to PFMA. They were from Regency of Lahat, Muaraenim, Musi Banyuasin, and Ogan Komering Ilir.
Prior, General Director of Plantation, Andi Nur Alam Syah emphasized that it would be very significant to escalate palm oil harvest quality. The collaboration between General Directorate of Plantation and PFMA since 2021 would be the same order from Minister of Agriculture to develop human resource quality development.
The training was from 23 to 27 April 2024. There were many speakers there, such as, from Akademi Komunitas Perkebunan Yogyakarta (AKPY). It was ended by visiting palm oil plantation company, and the participants themselves directly got information about the best practices in this industry. (T2)
