InfoSAWIT, BEKASI – Mula Putra, Institutional Coordinator for the Directorate of Palm Oil and Various Palms at the Directorate General of Plantations, Ministry of Agriculture, stressed the importance of synergy among all elements of the nation in safeguarding the sustainability of the national palm oil industry. He shared this view during an inaugural lecture at the Citra Widya Edukasi Palm Oil Polytechnic (Poltek CWE), themed “Palm Oil for the Nation: HR Investment Toward Golden Indonesia 2045.”
According to him, palm oil, which arrived in Indonesia in 1848 and began to be developed as a people's plantation in 1970, now covers an area of about 16 million hectares. However, this condition is under threat due to the continuous decline in palm oil productivity over the last four years. “Downstreaming is key for the industry to survive. All parties must share roles and tasks,” he said at the Inaugural Lecture attended by InfoSAWIT on Thursday (10/2/2025).
Mula Putra emphasized that the implementation of environmentally friendly cultivation practices is crucial, including through the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification. "Palm oil has three stages: upstream, middle, and downstream. All these sectors absorb employment, thus requiring innovation and competence to strengthen competitiveness," he stated.
He explained that the government has provided support through the Smallholder Replanting Program (PSR), provision of infrastructure, HR development, and research and innovation. However, the industry's sustainability can only be guaranteed if the government, companies, smallholders, and scientific knowledge work in tandem. "Our vision is to increase productivity. This proves that productivity must still be strongly encouraged," he asserted.
On this occasion, Mula Putra also placed great hope on Poltek CWE to produce competent and principled palm oil human resources. He highlighted three main keys that students must possess: first, strong character that is honest and based on faith; second, superior performance with high work ethic, creativity, and innovation; and third, broad insight through an interest in reading, cultural understanding, technological literacy, and financial mastery. "If all these elements are aligned, the palm oil industry will remain viable and be a mainstay for Indonesia in the future," he concluded. (T2)
