InfoSAWIT, KOTIM – Prior on 5 March 2024, and article "Koperasi di Kotim Keluhkan Maraknya Penjarahan dan Tuntutan Plasma" that was published by a national scale – media, Antara in Central Kalimantan Province, informed that 28 unions in Kotawaringin Timur (Kotim) faced issues.
Chairman of Non-Government Organization - Duta Sampit and member of Asosiasi Petani Kelapa Sawit Indonesia (Apkasindo) Kotim, Yunan Nasution told that the parties appreciated what Regency of Kotim has done to deal with the issues.
Nasution also emphasized it is important for regional government to publish a regulation about fresh fruit bunch (FFB) trade because there would be three parties before selling FFB or transporting it to mill(s), such as, the first, FFB from the local smallholders that are not in partnership with unions and or company(ies), should directly be sold to middlemen. The second, middlemen that have partnership with unions or company(ies) directly, and the third, unions that have legal institutions or partnership with company(ies)
“By publishing regulation clearly, FFB stealing or pillage from the company(ies’) plantations would be as minimal as it could. This would happen because of a clear FFB trade to mills that middlemen and or unions should report selling data to the mills before having FFB trade,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Thursday (14/03/2024).
The company that wants to purchase FFB from the partners of union and or middlemen, should not get it if it is not the same with harvest data from the smallholders or unions. It means, FFB should be from the unions or smallholders’ production.
Besides the regulation would minimize FFB stealing, it would escalate the revenue in a region from the middlemen permit and FFB trading which eventually would escalate the local revenue in Kotim.
“The polemic between the people and palm oil plantation companies should be seriously followed up. The clear legal and people’s welfare should be the prior. Responding to what the people’s claims on 20 percent plasma program from business rights of companies, this is a regular standard from the Government’s Regulation Number 26 / 2021 about Management in Agriculture. That is why their claim should be realized according to the available regulation,” he said.
It is also important to understand that every issue has its own authority. The issues about conflict, violation, supervision, permit, and others should be solved according to related parties’ authority and function.
He continued, the company(ies) should be taking bigger responsibility not in profit calculation from their investment. Before publishing a regulation, there should be clear principles which means, earth as the natural resource should be well maintained for the people’s welfare. One sample as a model of learning is Regency of Tanah Bumbu that regulates the company(ies) to develop plasma partnership for the people and it protects the plasma smallholders(T2)
