PALMOILMAGAZINE, SAMARINDA – Palm oil plantations in East Kalimantan Province cover approximately 1,345,364 hectares and play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigating global warming. Ence Achmad Rafiddin Rizal, Head of the East Kalimantan Plantation Agency, highlighted that these plantations significantly aid in carbon sequestration.
Currently, there are 342 companies holding plantation business permits covering a total of 2,317,795 hectares in the province. Of these, 240 companies have been granted business rights for 1,263,745 hectares. Among the palm oil plantations, 971,271 hectares are dedicated to main plantations, while 373,212 hectares are managed by plasma/smallholders.
Ence Achmad Rafiddin Rizal emphasized the importance of addressing GHG emissions as a global issue. He noted that East Kalimantan is the only province in Indonesia to have successfully implemented the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Carbon Fund, an initiative aimed at preventing deforestation and forest degradation. The World Bank has recognized this achievement with a performance-based award.
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As the province that implements sustainability principles in plantation development, Ence emphasized it would need the supports from every stakeholder both the smallholders and the companies to actively participate in reducing carbon emission. “Plantation businesses would absorb not only carbon but also produce emission, such as, from plantation operation, the vehicles, and production process in the mills,” he said, as Palmoilmagazine.com quoted from Antara, Tuesday (10/9/2024).
Palm oil is taken as the commodity that keeps carbon significantly. He said, a palm oil mill with 60 tons per hour – production capacity could absorb about 199.620 tons of CO2 equivalent per year through the plantations.
For it absorbs carbon from the air and keeps it in the trees and soil, East Kalimantan Province should always play the significant roles to minimize GHG emission, maintain ecosystem balance, and increase the plantation productivity. (T2)
