PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAMBI – Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS), with support from the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA), organized a workshop on palm oil micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMB) under the theme “Developing Cooperative Enterprises Based on Palm Oil” in Jambi City.
The two-day event, held from 8 to 9 August 2024, focused on optimizing the potential of palm oil through smallholder cooperatives and MSMBs.
The workshop attracted MSMB participants from various regions, including Tanjung Jabung Barat, Tanjung Jabung Timur, Kota Jambi, and Muara Jambi. Several speakers, including representatives from the Jambi Province Plantation Agency, MSMB practitioners, SPKS Chairman Sabarudin, MSMB facilitators, and BPOM, provided valuable insights and practical guidelines to the attendees.
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Sabarudin said that it would be important to take advantages on around palm oil plantations. “Many parts of palm oil (trees) that could be process to get additional values, such as, food, fashion, and housing products, such as, soap and detergent. This workshop should be mobilizing smallholders to develop MSMB products in palm oil – base,” he said, as in the official statement to Palmoilmagazine.com, Saturday (10/8/2024).
SPKS developed some MSMB actors in Regency of Tanjung Jabung Barat. Their products have been sold both in and out of Jambi through many exhibitions that POPFMA facilitated, such as, in Yogyakarta, Palembang, Makassar, and Jakarta. Their product selling escalated their income, not only from selling fresh fruit bunch (FFB) but also as part of female empowerment in or around palm oil plantations.
Head of Jambi Province Plantation Agency, Agusrizal said that palm oil plantations in the province laid on about 592.714 hectares where the smallholders cultivated. This would be the good and big chance for them to take advantages on palm oil derivative products besides selling FFB. “It would be significant to get partnership to develop cooperation and MSMB business namely to get capital and get market access,” he said.
Helmi Humansyah, Head of MSMB Division, POPFMA said through zoom that the institution hoped the activity would develop new products in palm oil base from MSMB actors and cooperation in Jambi Province. “POPFMA would keep encouraging and promoting MSMB products to present sustainable palm oil MSMB products,” Helmi said.
The participants in the workshop did appreciate the initiative of SPKS and POPFMA for they got new insight, chances to show and promote their products, open new market access wider.
The workshop would be the significant thing to encourage palm oil downstream program and escalate smallholders’ welfare by developing MSMB in palm oil base sustainably in the province. (P2)
