PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Vice Minister of Agriculture, Sudaryono, urged members of the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (Apkasindo) to boost the productivity of their plantations nationwide, emphasizing the vital role palm oil plays in Indonesia’s economy.
He set a target for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) productivity to reach 17 tons per hectare per year, nearing Malaysia’s productivity level of 18 tons per hectare. “We need to achieve at least 17 tons of FFB per hectare annually, bringing us closer to Malaysia,” Sudaryono said during his speech at the Apkasindo coordinator inauguration in 2024, held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s main auditorium, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com on Friday (10/11/2024) in Jakarta.
Sudaryono reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting palm oil as a strategic commodity, not only as an economic pillar but also to improve smallholder welfare. Indonesia currently dominates about 50% of the global palm oil trade, underscoring its importance at both national and international levels, particularly in exports.
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He also highlighted the significance of developing palm oil downstream sectors, including expanding biodiesel production to B50, as a key strategy to reduce diesel imports. “We’ve successfully implemented B35, and we hope B50 will eliminate diesel imports entirely,” he said, adding that palm oil downstream development would enhance Indonesia’s energy independence and increase the added value of crude palm oil (CPO).
Besides encouraging the plantation productivity, he also took the smallholders to realize intercrop program with paddy gogo as the way to support national scale – energy security. Ministry of Agriculture targeted to plant paddy gogo in 500 thousand hectares palm oil and coconut plantations through Kelapa Sawit Tumpang Sari Tanaman Pangan (Kesatria). It is hoped this would increase paddy production and optimize the plantation area use.
“By conducting intercrop program in palm oil plantation, we could take advantages on the available areas to be more productive and contributing to food security nationally,” Sudaryono said. (P2)
