InfoSAWIT, PALEMBANG – Wilmar officially launched Program Sinergi dan Pemberdayaan Petani Kecil (PROSPEK) that was targeted to help about 26 thousand smallholders in the company’s supply chain in Indonesia. The program would be about to reinforce sustainable agricultural practices and increase their welfare.
The launching of PROSPEK in Palembang was attended by more than about 130 smallholders that represented plasma smallholders of Wilmar in South Sumatera Province. Wilmar has been in partnership with about 3.000 plasma smallholders and PROSPEK would be the follow up of many development programs that were conducted.
Manager Sustainability Smallholder Program Wilmar, Yudi Triadi said that PROSPEK would be conducted in phase and inclusively. The program would focus to develop and reinforce sustainable practices to maintain the planters’ fresh fruit bunch (FFB) productivity and quality.
“Until now, our plasma’s FFB production reaches more than 20 tons per hectare per year in the average. Through PROSPEK, we would help them to be more productive by implementing sustainable practices,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Tuesday (24/9/2024).
Besides, PROSPEK would be part of the long term – commitment of Wilmar to implement no deforestation, no peat, and no exploitation policy that has been running since 2013.
Lead Sustainability Global Upstream Wilmar, Edrin Moss emphasized the program would escalate the smallholders’ capacity to understand sustainable agriculture practices. It would prepare them to get Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certificate that the government regulated. “Most of the independent smallholders do not fully understand the concept of sustainability. We want to approach them with the practices and help them,” he said.
One plasma representative, I Wayan Gede Surya, the Chairman of Koperasi Lembut Indah Sejahtera did welcome the initiative. He thought, PROSPEK should open the smallholders’ access to the knowledge about sustainable practice in environmental, work safety, and production quality aspects.
“We are not too familiar still and it is hoped PROSPEK would help us to know about sustainable palm oil and the program would fully be implemented to deliver real impacts,” he said.
The cooperation in Lempuing Indah, Regency of Ogan Komering Ilir has been the plasma for PT Buluh Cawang Plantaion (BCP), Wilmar Group for about 25 years and this would be the second cycle of palm oil planting. (T2)
