InfoSAWIT, MEDAN – Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA) did Semarak UKMK Sawit in City of Medan on 28 February to 1 March 2024 in Gedung Keuangan Negara. It was attended by independent smallholders – the members of Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS). There were many booths for micro, small, medium business (MSMB) from many regions in Indonesia that showed up palm oil downstream products.

In his speech, Director of Fund Management and Plan/Director in duty of Partnership PFMA, Kabul Wijayanto said that the event was part of duty in PFMA to promote palm oil plantation sector, just it is regulated in President’s Regulation Number 66 / 2018. The goal was about to escalate understanding about palm oil significance as strategic product namely to reinforce its downstream sectors.

It was also part of PFMA to play its roles in exit strategies to support economic recovery and acceleration by palm oil product result promotion and palm oil researches that would be used to introduce, and develop the industries.

Bakti Situmorang, a member of SPKS North Sumatera that attended the event did welcome the event to develop sustainable palm oil. He thought the event would escalate smallholders’ income and encourage innovation by MSMB development.

As in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Monday (4/3/2024), MSMB development is taken as the way to escalate the income for smallholders besides from fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production by developing palm oil derivative products. SPKS would keep trying to facilitate MSMB product development by having trainings for the groups and smallholders’ female – the members of SPKS.

It is hoped there would be collaboration between SPKS and PFMA to expand MSMB products wherever SPKS operates. This would be realized by providing trainings and promotion for them in Indonesia, promoting palm oil industries as one potential sector to develop economy and welfare for the people. (T2)