PALMOILMAGAZINE, TANA TIDUNG — The village of Menjelutung in Sesayap Hilir, Tana Tidung Regency, is entering a new phase in managing its plasma oil palm plantation. This spirit of progress was evident as four board members of the Koperasi Usaha Bersama Plasma Menjelutung Perdana Lestari (KUB PMPL) traveled to Tanah Kuning Village, Bulungan Regency, for a benchmarking visit to KSU Mega Buana, a cooperative widely recognized for its successful management of former corporate plasma estates.
The three-day study visit, held from April 9 to 12, 2025, was warmly welcomed by the management and supervisory board of KSU Mega Buana. For the KUB PMPL team, this was more than just a visit—it was a chance to seek inspiration and gain firsthand insights from the field.
Ares Wahyudi, Secretary of KUB PMPL, emphasized that KSU Mega Buana serves as an excellent role model. “Their plasma plantation, about 250 hectares in size, is already yielding significant returns. In February alone, they sold 458,650 kilograms of FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunches),” Ares told Palmoilmagazine.com on Monday, April 14, 2025.
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Thanks to this performance, each of the cooperative’s 334 member households received around Rp2 million in net surplus (SHU), even though most members manage less than one hectare of land.
For Ares and his colleagues, this success proves that well-managed plasma plantations are not just a dream. During their visit to Tanah Kuning, they didn’t just hear about success stories—they experienced them firsthand by going into the field and observing how KSU Mega Buana implements effective management systems.
From the visit, Ares identified six key lessons: improving knowledge of plasma plantation management, developing cooperative goal-setting strategies, strengthening managerial and technical capabilities, expanding inter-cooperative networks, enhancing adaptability to changing environments, and building leadership confidence.
“Seeing best practices in action at KSU Mega Buana has motivated us to plan more strategically for our own cooperative,” he said with enthusiasm.
KUB PMPL’s proactive step illustrates that learning from others’ achievements is a powerful way forward. For Menjelutung Village, this visit to Tanah Kuning may very well mark the beginning of its own success story in managing a community-driven oil palm plantation. (P2)
