InfoSAWIT, PEKANBARU – Many noticed the policy idea of President Joko Widodo to escalate and support smallholders replanting program (SRP) fund to be Rp. 60 million per hectare for smallholders. This would be positive to encourage smallholders’ plantations to go forward in Indonesia.
Since the beginning, SRP has become the integral part to escalate smallholders’ plantation productivity and income. The supports from the government would be crucial to develop fairness for the people of Indonesia, namely in agricultural sectors, like, palm oil plantations.
Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS) encouraged that the government would support more, including, increasing SRP fund. Chairman of SPKS, Sabarudin said the independent smallholders are often put aside and SRP is hoped to deliver bigger fairness for them.
One main focus is that SRP fund that Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA) gathered. The fund for the smallholders is not fair for smallholders. “Though the previous supports had been given that reached Rp 30 million per hectare, the numbers were not enough,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Tuesday (27/2/2024).
SPKS thought it is crucial to escalate SRP fund to be Rp. 60 million per hectare because it would help them to prepare their plantations better. “Besides, this would prevent the smallholders to get more debts namely those having old plantations,” he said.
The cabinet meeting recently that was also attended by Coordinator Minister in Economy, Airlangga Hartarto and Minister of Agrarian Affairs/National Land Agency, Agus Harimurti Yudoyono would be very good to comprehensively discuss it. In the meeting, it was proposed to escalate fund subsidy from PFMA to support sustainability in SRP.
SPKS also hoped that the increasing numbers in SRP should be followed by easy access. The government should pay attention to smallholders’ legal areas. “Easy access in publishing freehold title for the smallholders should be the priority to solve their legal areas that still haunt them,” he said. (T2)
