PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PO PFMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the 2024 Palm Oil Plantation Human Resource Education initiative. This strategic program aims to enhance the quality and competency of human resources in the sector, driving higher plantation productivity and fostering a sustainable palm oil industry in Indonesia.
The MoU involves 23 universities and educational institutions across 10 provinces, targeting 3,000 students who have received technical recommendations from the Directorate General of Plantations at the Ministry of Agriculture. The participating campuses are located in Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, West Sumatra, Jambi, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi, and West Papua.
Arfie Thahar, Head of the Service Program Division at PO PFMA, stated that the program has a total allocation of approximately IDR 498 billion. The funds will cover scholarships, including tuition fees, living expenses, books, graduation costs, competency certifications, and transportation from students’ boarding houses to their campuses.
“The fund would support the education of 3.000 students and cover their educational costs to competence certification,” Arfie said, as Palmoilmagazine.com quoted from the official page of PO PFMA, Thursday (22/8/2024).
Since 2016, PO PFMA has provided scholarship for 6.265 students with the total distribution up to IDR 587 billion. Every year, the numbers got increased with the total fund in 2024 up to IDR 151 billion while in 2023, it just reached IDR 130 billion in the same period.
The challenge to nationally realize crude palm oil (CPO) production up to 60 million tons in 2030 would be massive. That is why PO PFMA would focus on palm oil plantation human resource development. Chairman of Palm Oil Plantation Human Resource Development, Darmansyah Basyarudin said that it would be significant that the universities (campuses) should confirm that the graduate would be having skills that are adjustable with palm oil industrial needs.
Rangga Rahmananda, Senior Analyst of Service Program PO PFMA also said that the institution also delivered technical guidance about the scholarship implementation, starting from the education preparation up to every activity’s report. In the closing ceremony, Sulthan M. Yusa, the officer that formulated the commitment in PO PFMA reminded the educational institutions to manage their scholarship professionally, transparently and accountably. PO PFMA would be committed on supporting to increase palm oil plantation human resources to realize sustainable palm oil industrial development nationally. (P2)
