PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Indonesian legislators are advocating for all smallholders participating in the smallholders replanting program (SRP) to partner with PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) to enhance palm oil plantation productivity, particularly benefiting communities in West Sumatera Province.
Andre Rosiade, a member of Commission VI from Gerindra, emphasized the urgent need to implement the SRP. He believes that the initiative led by the PTPN Group as the key player holds significant potential for positive outcomes.
“Palm oil is the primadona in South Sumatera and Riau Province. But West Sumatera should not be left behind because the smallholders are in need of cash,” he said, as in the official statement to media, Tuesday (9/7/2024).
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He also encouraged PTPN Group to accommodate the smallholders in West Sumatera. What he knew was that many smallholders where he should get votes, wanted to get SRP, such as, from Dharmasraya and Pasaman Barat. “Please, help the smallholders in West Sumatera Province, such as, where I was voted in Dharmasraya and Pasaman Barat. There are lots of old trees there,” he said.
The Government of Indonesia would keep encouraging to get SRP to escalate plantation productivity and palm oil product quality from Indonesia, particularly produced by the independent smallholders. SRP would be about to improve palm oil plantation governance.
Ever since it was launched by President Joko Widodo in October 2017, SRP until 2023 covered 142.078 smallholders and the fund distributed reached up to Rp 9,11 trillion with the total plantations covering up to 326.678 hectares. The government would encourage the program so that the villagers would massively get the advantages including in West Sumatera Province. (T2)
