PALMOILMAGAZINE, ACEH — Thousands of kilometers of production roads inside independent smallholder oil palm plantations across Aceh Province have suffered severe damage following recent tidal flooding and prolonged heavy rainfall, significantly disrupting the transportation of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) to palm oil mills and main arterial roads.
Chairman of the Aceh chapter of the Oil Palm Smallholders Union (SPKS), Abubakar AR, said the deteriorating road conditions have prevented transport trucks from accessing plantation areas, leaving large volumes of harvested fruit stranded and causing substantial losses for farmers.
“This situation is deeply concerning. Much of the farmers’ FFB cannot be transported because trucks are unable to enter the plantations. Production roads are heavily damaged and no longer passable,” Abubakar told Palmoilmagazine.com on Monday (December 15, 2025).
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He explained that limited road access has forced many farmers to suspend harvesting activities altogether. As a result, fruit that is not harvested in time begins to rot on the trees or falls naturally, leading to a sharp decline in quality and market value.
“Many farmers have chosen not to harvest because the fruit cannot be transported. The FFB ends up rotting on the trees or dropping on its own. This represents a real and immediate loss for independent smallholders,” he said.
SPKS Aceh has urged the Directorate General of Plantations to ease access to funds managed by the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP). The organization believes these funds should be made directly accessible to farmers through farmer institutions at the district level to finance the construction and rehabilitation of plantation roads.
According to Abubakar, the situation has reached an emergency level, particularly in severely affected areas such as Langkahan and Simpang Keramat sub-districts, as well as several other parts of North Aceh Regency. Similar damage has also been reported in Aceh Tamiang and East Aceh regencies, which represent the eastern corridor of the province.
“We are asking BPDP to respond swiftly to the urgent need for repairs to smallholder plantation roads. It must be remembered that BPDP funds are sourced from the sale of FFB processed into CPO—commodities that ultimately belong to oil palm farmers across Indonesia,” he stressed.
Beyond the central government, SPKS Aceh has also called on the Head of the Aceh Provincial Agriculture and Plantation Office, as well as plantation-related agencies at the district level, to simplify and expedite the process of submitting assistance proposals from farmers. Abubakar emphasized that farmer-led proposals should not be delayed or unnecessarily complicated.
“Farmers’ proposals must be followed up immediately. They should not be slowed down, let alone obstructed. Without a swift response, we fear farmers’ trust in the performance of relevant government agencies will continue to erode,” he concluded. (P2)
