PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Institutions and associations that work with smallholders play a crucial role in the rapid development of palm oil plantations, particularly in relation to smallholders.
Smallholders are responsible for cultivating nearly half of Indonesia’s total palm oil plantations. One such institution is the Persatuan Organisasi Petani Sawit Indonesia (POPSI), which is led by Pahala Sibuea.
Developing smallholders’ organizations is no easy task. Many independent smallholders prefer working individually and are hesitant to come together and establish associations. This reluctance often stems from negative past experiences in managing cooperative efforts.
Also Read : The Significance of ISPO Certification for Indonesia Palm Oil Industry
However, the challenges have not deterred Pahala Sibuea. He has actively participated in numerous organizations and has taken the initiative to establish a smallholders’ organization known as ‘Sawitku Masadepanku,’ also referred to as ‘Samade.
In Samade, he developed socialization – from only chit-chat in independent smallholders’ group in social media (facebook) to be eventually the real association.
After quitting from Samade, he is trusted to develop POPSI. As a chairman of the smallholders’ major association, he has many ideas.
He focuses on collecting data and escalating smallholders’ competition. Sibuea said, POPSI was declared in July 2019 in Jakarta.
“As time went by, I was taken by my fellow and advise from the former General Director of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture, Gamal Nasir and Bambang to be the Chairman of POPSI. We faced obstacles when dealing with administration issue. But after that Ministry of Law and Human Rights finally established the regulation (decision) in January 2021,” he recently said to Palmoilmagazine.com. (T2)