PALMOILMAGAZINE, BEKASI – To provide a comprehensive understanding of the palm oil plantation sector, Politeknik Kelapa Sawit Citra Widya Edukasi (Poltek Kelapa Sawit CWE) conducted a public lecture themed “The Role of Young Generations in Supporting Sustainable Palm Oil.” The event took place at the Poltek Kelapa Sawit CWE Auditorium on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Moderated by Faizal Shofwan Kusnendi from Poltek Kelapa Sawit CWE, the lecture featured Eddy Abdurrachman, Director of the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA), as the main speaker.
Eddy Abdurrachman emphasized the importance of balancing work characteristics into three components: 50% service, honesty, and hard work; 30% intelligence; and 20% personal health. The lecture was attended by about 550 students from three study programs.
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Eddy also highlighted several challenges faced by the palm oil industry, including low productivity, negative campaigns, plantations in forest areas, legal and permit issues, business disruptions and conflicts, and market issues in some export countries.
To address these challenges, Eddy stressed the importance of developing downstream sectors to enhance the added value of palm oil. These sectors include oleo food complexes, oleo chemicals, bioenergy complexes, biodiesel, and other export-oriented products.
Eddy thought, palm oil plantations in Indonesia now lay on about 16,38 million hectares; 8,68 million hectares are cultivated by big private companies; 6,72 million hectares are cultivated by plasma and independent smallholders; and 980 thousand hectares are cultivated by the government’s companies.
To qualify sustainability claims and realize environmental and social palm oil plantations, the government published the policy about Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) which is the President’s Regulation Number 44 / 2020. It covers seven sustainability principles.
The government also encouraged to get smallholders replanting program (SRP) and encouraged the smallholders to qualify every term and condition in getting ISPO certificate. “The grant for SRP would be Rp 30 million per hectare with the maximal proposal about 4 hectares for now,” Eddy said, as in the information that Palmoilmagazine.com got.
Besides, to develop human resources, PFMA implemented vocational education or equal to undergraduate level within 6.255 students getting scholarship. About 3.025 students graduated their study. PFMA also supported research and development in palm oil sector in cooperation with research and development institutions in universities in Indonesia.
The public lecture would be significant to escalate the understanding for young generations about their strategic roles to support sustainability in palm oil industries. Eddy emphasized PFMA would be committed to support education, research and develop to make palm oil sector go forward in Indonesia.(T2)
Report by Alia Rindu Arsh Al Qadr
