PALMOILMAGAZINE, BENGKULU – The Agriculture Office of South Bengkulu Regency is targeting an increase in the survey of smallholder palm oil plantations by 2025, aiming for over 50% completion. This target surpasses the 2024 achievement, which only reached 50% of the 8,600 plots set as the goal.
The 2024 survey involved 21 personnel from the Plantation Division of the Agriculture Office and was conducted over six months, from July to December. However, it fell short of full completion. According to Ahmad Sukirman, Head of the Plantation Division, field challenges were the main obstacles, including a lack of trust among farmers, leading many to withhold plantation data.
“The survey is intended to help the government formulate policies based on the Plantation Business Registration Certificate (STD-B) data. This data will also serve as the basis for providing assistance to farmers,” Ahmad explained, as quotwd by Palmoilmagazine.com from Harian Rakyat Bengkulu on Thursday, December 26, 2024.
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Ahmad emphasized the need to improve outreach strategies in 2025, involving village governments, Agricultural Extension Centers (BPP), and banking institutions in raising awareness about the importance of providing plantation data. “We are optimistic this initiative will perform better in 2025 to support the welfare of palm oil farmers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Diah Winarsih, SH, Assistant for Economic and Development Affairs at the South Bengkulu Regency Secretariat, highlighted the importance of smallholder palm oil plantation data as a foundation for government decision-making. The data will also help tailor assistance programs to community needs.
“This survey not only helps communities access aid but also enhances the efficiency of government programs,” Diah stated.
The 2024 survey covered seven subdistricts: Kota Manna, Pasar Manna, Manna, Pino Raya, Pino, Bunga Mas, and Kedurang. Although the results exceeded 50%, Diah hopes for even greater achievements in 2025.
“This initiative must remain consistent, with the full involvement of all teams to maximize results. With improved outreach, we hope the community will better understand the importance of this data in improving their welfare,” she concluded.
Better data collection is expected to enable more targeted government policies, bringing positive impacts to the economy of palm oil farmers in South Bengkulu. (P2)
