InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – General Director of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture, Andi Nur Alamsyah said that Indonesia needs to defend its position as the biggest palm oil producer in the world. To realize it, some parties are still discussing re-introduction innovation in pollinating insect in palm oil plantations, particularly in species E kamerunicus that has morphologic characteristic and different molecule in Indonesia.

The goal is about to get and determine 1 – 2 insect species that would function as pollinator in palm oil plantations as in Africa (but would not be as pest or disease vector). This is also suitable to complete E. kamerunicus in Indonesia.

This is also about to solve fresh fruit bunch set issue that has something to do with productivity and yield in Indonesia because palm oil production has something to do with pollinating.

For information, General Directorate of Plantation fully supports the proposal research about Plant Material Development Research by Research and Development of Indonesian Palm Oil Association (R&D IPOA) with fund supports from Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency. This is the real thing to get plantation sectors in Indonesia go forward. (T2)