InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Organization Association (POPSI) has put forward two important aspirations regarding the national palm oil plantation governance: fair partnerships for farmers and a commitment to environmental sustainability.
POPSI Chairman, Mansuetus Darto, emphasized that the government needs to immediately establish a partnership policy that favors the community, especially in the management of confiscated palm oil land being managed by PT Agrinas. Currently, the area of confiscated palm oil land managed by the company is approaching 1 million hectares, but there is no partnership model with farmers as is commonly applied in the plantation sector.
"The state is present through the confiscation of illegal palm oil as a victory for the people over practices that harm many parties. However, the state must not turn a blind eye to the conditions of the surrounding communities who are still poor as a result of losing their land," Darto stressed in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT on Tuesday (9/2/2025).
POPSI proposes a scheme where community cooperatives manage 80% of the land, while PT Agrinas gets a 20% share. According to POPSI, this model will strengthen the position of farmers in the national palm oil supply chain, create transparent governance, and improve community welfare.
In addition to partnerships, POPSI also affirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability. The organization urged for the immediate restoration of all illegal palm oil plantations in protected and conservation forest areas through reforestation. This step is considered important to restore the ecological function of the forest, prevent further environmental damage, and provide legal certainty for the direction of sustainable development.
"Palm oil is a source of livelihood for millions of farmers. However, sustainability must not be sacrificed. We ask the government to take a firm stance: build a fair partnership model for the community, and restore forests from illegal palm oil with reforestation," said Darto.
POPSI believes that these efforts will not only strengthen the role of farmers and maintain food and energy sovereignty but also protect forests as a life-sustaining pillar for future generations. (T2)
