InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Professor of Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University, Rachmat Pambudy said that it would be important to publish policy for palm oil industries in the context, to protect every issue. He said that it would be relevant for the government to adopt protection policy.

He also thought the protection should be in active and passive forms with the fund supports from Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA). “Palm oil is potential used as weapon, both to attack and defend. This should be taken for advantages wisely,” Prof. Rachmat Pambudy said in a discussion that InfoSAWIIT attended in Jakarta, Monday (15/7/2024).

He continued it would also need to get palm oil promotion actively to reinforce its position as the strategic commodity in foods. Establishing PFMA means it has strong arguments and valid data, and the same needs for every stakeholder.

“In the context of democracy, the establishment of the agency should take every aspiration from many parties, not only smallholders. We have to clarify the basic legality if it is laws, government’s regulations, or president’s regulation,” he said.

Prof. Rachmat Pambudy also said, palm oil agency as part of national scale – strategies to produce competitive products should compete in the global scale – trade. Even though he did not represent any party, besides as a professor and coordinator in Himpunan Kerukunan Tani Indonesia, he thought, palm oil agency is a strategic need for national scale industries. (T2)