InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Until now the issues in palm oil plantations have no dead end. When one issue is not completely accomplished, the other one comes up. For example, about the validation of palm oil plantations nationally.
Senior Advisor of President’s Staff Office, Abetnego Tarigan, in the previous Ministry of Agriculture noted that the plantations were about 14 million hectares. But according to the satellite image photo, the palm oil tree covers were about 20 million hectares.
“In the process of development plans nationally, the different width would be an issue if it is not completely accomplished. 14 million hectares were the widest one,” he recently said in Jakarta.
Besides the data, he who was the environment campaigner and once become Chairman of Walhi, noted that some countries want to do palm oil business as the source to develop their countries, such as, Africa. But he thought, developing palm oil in Africa would face some issues, such as, labors. It is the same in Papua New Guinea which the issue is about security.
Indonesia as the main palm oil producer is safe enough. Until now Indonesia still depends on palm oil exports to two countries, they are, China and India. Based on the data from Ministry of Trade, the crude palm oil (CPO) production from Indonesia in 2017 was about 37,81 million tons and the gross domestic product from the plantation sectors in the last three years, 2015 – 2017 increased 5,7% and 9%, surpassed the oil and geothermal.
The people get more involve namely the smallholders and the labors. They significantly contribute to the palm oil plantation. But there are some issues to notice, such as, the small productivity, their plantations which need replanting program though palm oil Plantation Fund Management Agency has been made to answer it (replanting).
“The other is deforestation. In the international level, we are proud that palm oil gives the positive ones but it is relatives because there is no natural forest in the plantations,” he said.
The government starts to improve the governance of the natural resource including the plantations by some policies in land and palm oil, such as, publishing Agrarian Reform, the settlement of Land and Forestry Region, The Peat Restoration Policy, and Crude palm oil Supporting Fund. “The upstream issues could be addressed and solved by the related ministries. There are regulations,” he said. (T2)
Source: InfoSAWIT, February 2019
