PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – In late April 2024, the “Kick Off” for the Smallholders Replanting Program (SRP), in partnership with the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) and involving intercropping with paddy gogo, took place in Batulicin, South Kalimantan Province.
This marked a significant moment to promote the program, with IPOA and smallholders collaborating closely. The plasma plantations of KUD Gajah Mada served as the pilot project for this initiative.
Despite smallholders playing crucial roles in the palm oil industry, their plantation productivity often lags behind that of larger private or government-owned plantations. However, with support from the government through the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA), efforts are underway to boost smallholders’ plantation productivity significantly.
The SRP program has also received endorsement from the General Directorate of Plantation at the Ministry of Agriculture, recommending replanting on 6,000 hectares of smallholders’ plantations in South Kalimantan Province. This initiative aims to replace unproductive trees with high-quality seeds and implement good agricultural practices to enhance productivity and harvest quality.
Chairman of IPOA, Eddy Martono said that SRP in partnership is not about to escalate palm oil plantation productivity but also support food security nationally. “Integrated program by planting paddy gogo would deliver double advantages for the local and escalate smallholders’ welfare,” he said.
The support from PFMA would be in the form of delivering funds for 52 thousand hectares, the candidates of smallholders’ plantations. It would involve about 150 planters’ institutions. About 1.800 hectares would be part of SRP program in partnership. It showed the same commitment to escalate plantation productivity and smallholders’ welfare in Indonesia.
Also Read: IPOA Launches SRP Kick-Off in Partnership Scheme to Promote Replanting in Riau
SRP in intercrops with paddy gogo in South Kalimantan would be the real thing to optimize plantation area and escalate food production. With many supports, including from the government and IPOA, it is hoped the program would positively deliver impacts for the smallholders and the people in a whole.
Eddy continued, the program would only run for some time or as long as palm oil canopy does not get wider (and shadow the surface of soil). It would be really running in replanting program only.
But he said, the program would raise issues because both the smallholders and stakeholders may not experience in realizing the program. “That is why it needs development from the government,” he recently said to Palmoilmagazine.com.
In association with paddy gogo seeds, Eddy sid, the government through Ministry of Agriculture or related agriculture agency, should provide. IPOA has no source of the seeds. He also acknowledged that the program would be running in around 512 thousand hectares.
“It is hoped the program would help the smallholders’ income while waiting for their palm oil trees to produce. On the other hand, this would help the government provide food or paddy,” Eddy said. (*)
