InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - Ministry of Agriculture encouraged to optimize palm oil plantations to support corn production nationally. Led by General Directorate of Plantations, Kelapa Sawit Tumpang Sari Tanaman Pangan (Kesatria) Program by advantaging immature (palm oil) plantations and in replanting program, would be expanded to be the source of income for smallholders (farmers).
Central Bureau of Statistic (CBS) showd that agriculture exports in January -December 2022 spent 640,56 trillion rupiah or increased 3,93 percent compared to the same period in 2021. Plantation sub-sector was proven to be the biggest export contributor in agriculture sector that reached 622,37 trillion rupiah (97,16 percent).
Vice Minister of Agriculture, Harvick Hasnul Qolbi said, just like Minister of Agriculture told, optimizing palm oil plantations with intercrops would answer nowadays challenge. We would conduct intercrops in palm oil plantation centers.
“We haves many stakeholders and palm oil associations here. We would deliver area spots to be the intercrops in food plants. We have to contribute 1 million tons. Plantation sectors should be involved to develop food plants,” he said in the event of “Optimalisasi Lahan Melalui Program Kelapa Sawit Tumpang Sari Tanaman Pangan” in the campus of Ministry of Agriculture, Wednesday (15/11).
He also mentioned some countries are threatened by the unpredictable weather. El Nino is ahead and we have to get breakthrough or amazing efforts to provide food, particularly rice for 273 million people of Indonesia. “This would be tough but I believe that there would be solution from the threat,” he said.
In the same shot, Harvick also appreciated the stakeholders for their achievements that made Indonesia as the biggest palm oil producer in the world. For information, palm oil plantations laid on about 16,83 million hectares within crude palm oil (CPO) production about 45,1 million tons. CPO and its derivative exports reached 27 million tons or about US$ 28 billion or Rp 456 trillion. The exports surpassed the exports of geothermal.
“I am proud and do appreciate every stakeholder in palm oil plantations. The workers in palm oil reached about 16,2 million men. They consist of 4,2 million men direct workers and 12 million men indirect workers. Besides, palm oil substitutes fossil fuel up to about 2,3 million kiloliters in sustainable energy,” he said.
It is undeniable that palm oil industrial performance still faces some challenges in its development. Not only about productivity but we have to escalate the consistency in quantity and quality. We have to qualify Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) standards which many countries focus on in sustainability aspects. We have to do anything about legal issue, permits, business and conflict issues, escalate market access, additional values, supply chain, distribution, and price dynamic in the world. Everything would have something to do with our competition in the world. (T2)
