PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The Smallholders Replanting Program (SRP) in Banten Province has yielded significant benefits for smallholders. Prior to its implementation, the production of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) in smallholders’ plantations was subpar, likely due to the use of unclear or illegitimate seeds. However, after the SRP was initiated, there was a notable increase in plantation production.
According to the Banten Province Agriculture Agency, the SRP covered approximately 1,606 hectares of smallholders’ palm oil plantations, with funding provided by the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency. Of these, 567.4 hectares are located in the Pandeglang Regency and 1,038 hectares in the Lebak Regency, resulting in a harvest area of 935.7 hectares.
In the Pandeglang Regency, smallholders experienced positive outcomes from their harvests following the SRP implementation in 2020 and 2021. By planting trusted and superior seeds, they have seen improvements in their yields.
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Ariyadi, the Chairman of Nenglasari, expressed enthusiasm for the harvest, despite suboptimal fertilization. He remains optimistic that production could reach up to 30 tons of FFB per hectare once conditions are optimized.
Head of Plantation, Agriculture Agency Regency of Pandeglang, Iping Saripin said that the smallholders now get the real impacts by planting qualified palm oil seeds in SRP. The agency actively developed them – starting from proposing to conduct SRP, the plantation development to confirm the optimal harvest.
“To make sure the program run well, Agriculture Agency did development, it started from the proposal to conduct SRP until the plantation development to optimally get the result/harvest,” Iping said, as in the official statement to Palmoilmagazine.com, Monday (29/4/2024).
Regency of Pandeglang would keep encouraging the smallholders to conduct SRP and infrastructure investments. In 2024, the help to develop production path would be through infrastructure program. This showed the commitment of the regency to support sustainable and productive palm oil plantations. (T2)
