
InfoSAWIT, PASER – To escalate palm oil human resource (HR) quality, Palm Oil Plantation Fund management Agency (PFMA) conducted harvest and post-harvest technical training.
It was part of the program in developing Sumber Daya Manusia Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit in 2024 in cooperation with General Directorate of Plantation, and PT Citra Widya Education (PT CWE). The training was for 70 smallholders from Regency of Paser in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province.
Not only that, PFMA and General Directorate of Plantation were in collaboration with 14 training institutions to conduct the same program in the same time. The total participants reached about 6.437 smallholders from many regions. In specific for Regency of Paser, the training was running in the Hotel Gran Senyiur Balikpapan for five days or from Monday, 27 May to Friday, 31 May 2024.
Director of PT Citra Widya Education, Nugroho Kristono said that the smallholders faced many issues, such as, fertilizer price, partnership, fresh fruit bunch distribution (trade) and mills without plantation.
“By having the training, the smallholders should get new insight and skills to help them solve the issues and escalate their plantation productivity,” he said as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Thursday (30/5/2024).
Head of Plantation and Livestock Agency Regency of Paser, Djoko Bawono emphasized that it would be significant to actively participate in the training. He hoped that the smallholders would implement what they knew and got to escalate their plantation productivity in the regency. It is about 15 – 20 tons per hectare, and the government did target to get 25 – 30 tons per hectare.
On the other side, Head of Balai Besar Pelatihan Pertanian Binuang, Wahida Annisa Yusuf mentioned that HR competency would be the key to realize sustainable palm oil plantations. By escalating the smallholders’ skill, knowledge, and management, they should minimize the gaps of production between them and the companies.
Director of Plantation Production General Directorate of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture, Hendratmojo Bagus Hudoro officially inaugurated the training. He emphasized that palm oil would be significant in Indonesia’s economy and hoped that the smallholders would take for advantages on the training to escalate their competence in post-harvest and cultivation technic.
After series of opening ceremony, nametag was handed over symbolically for three participants. They were Hendrikus Resi, Tarwadi, and Rumiyati. They were proud and enthusiastic to join the training and hoped apply their new knowledge to escalate their plantation productivity.
It is hoped the training would also deliver long term – benefits for the smallholders in the Regency of Paser both to escalate their plantation productivity and their welfare. With the support from the three institutions, the smallholders should solve the challenges and contribute to get more sustainable palm oil industries. (T2)