InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Vice President, KH. Maruf Amin encouraged palm oil stakeholders in Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) to support smallholders replanting program (SRP) which the target laying 180 thousand hectares per year. He thought, palm oil is the significant commodity to reinforce economy nationally.
“IPOA members or big and palm oil industries should reinforce partnership between smallholders and big companies, including in SRP,” Vice President Ma’ruf told when inaugurating the 11th Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) national conference of 2023 in the Istana Wakil Presiden, Friday (3/3/2023).
Vice President Ma’ruf thought, partnership is the key and solution for palm oil industries which is based on sustainable advantage and delivering profits. He wanted that the people’s plantations would get space to promote to escalate their welfare.
“The second, it needs development and guidance to get Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certificate for smallholders’ plantations to be sustainable, environmental, and economical,” he said.
The next, he hoped that the smallholders could escalate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) program for the people. One example is by delivering trainings for ‘santri’ in their religious houses where they have yards. He thought, ‘santri’ and their religious houses have the potential to escalate their plantation productivity.
"The companies should escalate their CSR program for the people around, one important thing is that there are 34 thousand religious housing in Indonesia within ‘santri’ at least, 4,76 million men. About 44,2 percent of the ‘santri’ have economic potential, starting from developing micro, small, and medium business, ‘syariah economi’, agri-business, livestock, and plantations,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Friday (3/3/2023).
Meanwhile Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) told that palm oil industries always be the capital for Indonesia to reinforce economy namely in the pandemic. In addition, 70 percent of agricultural success in Indonesia were helped by plantation subsector.
“That is why today’s inauguration could be taken as consolidation forum to get the better target and lead for palm oil industries. In addition, Vice President inaugurated, President asked to realize smallholders replanting program that reaches 180 thousand hectares per year,” he said.
In the same location, Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) Chairman, Joko Supriyono thanked for the attention from the government to develop palm oil industries nationally. He is ready to implement what Vice President instructed to fulfill SRP targets.
“That is why we would keep encouraging and maintain the goals to maximally contribute namely in delivering employment and exchange for the country. We are ready with the government to realize SRP targets,” he said.
Prior in the meeting coordination, Minister SYL confirmed that SRP would equally run in Indonesia. He thought the President and Vice President specially noticed the program to escalate the plantation productivity, namely the regional governments to supervise new planting in their own regions.
SYL thought, palm oil contribution was helped for it is laying about 16,38 million hectares. About 6,9 million hectares belonged to smallholders but it still faces quite massive challenges, such as, non-maximal agro-input.
On the other hand, palm oil productivity just reached 3–4 tons per hectares or equal to CPO. This could be a threat for the future palm oil in Indonesia if there is no comprehensive ways, such as, improving the upstream to downstream sectors by replanting old trees or unproductive ones. (T2)
