InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Ministry of Agriculture through General Directorate of Plantation commits to maintain and provide plantation seeds particularly palm oil both in numbers and quality.
This would be the strategic way to support smallholders and planters by providing superior seeds that becomes the main key to escalate plantation productivity and production.
Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman said that (superior) seeds play important roles to develop agriculture sector. He urged his officers in the ministry to monitor and make sure that the smallholders (farmers) would plant (superior/standard) seeds which are available and right on time. The success of palm oil cultivation would depend on seed quality. The mistake to select seeds would deliver long term – impact and would be known after 3 – 5 years.
General Director of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture, Andi Nur Alam Syah emphasized that his directorate would focus on seed governance reinforcement nationally, developing commodity in regional – basis through intensification, replanting, and expansion as the short term – program. The collaboration with palm oil seed producers would be the key to minimize trading fake seeds. This would be realized by making sure that every seed should be sold and derived from registered seed producer and has permit in seed production.
Director of Plantation Seed, Gunawan said that the target in smallholders replanting program (SRP) would lay on 180.000 hectares per year. To realize the target, it needs potential data and production of palm oil seeds until 2024. By the late of November 2023, 43 permits of palm oil seed issues and evaluation to main plantation and producers’ main trees would be important to know the real condition of the plantations.
Gunawan told that the evaluation would be about to gather real data in palm ol seed producers about the sprout potential, seeds to exports, seed price, and prepare production plans in 2024. The valid and real field data would be the basic to publish policy to support palm oil development (planting) in Indonesia.
By the things, Ministry of Agriculture would confirm superior and certified palm oil seeds that would contribute to escalate plantation productivity and smallholders’ welfare, and also encourage agricultural development in a whole. (T2)