Apkasindo Appreciates Prabowo's Statement About Palm Oil

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (Apkasindo) appreciates President Prabowo Subianto's Speech regarding palm oil, during the National Development Planning Conference for the Implementation of the National Medium-Term Development Plan (Musrenbangnas RPJMN) 2025-2029.

According to the General Chairperson of the DPP Apkasindo Wrestling ME Manurung, President Prabowo's statement in an activity organized by the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas on Monday, December 30, has long been awaited by 17 million families of oil palm farmers from Aceh to Papua.

"We are very happy to listen to President Prabowo's speech either through the VAT/Bappenas Ministry's youtube channel or from the download results," he quoted Antara as saying.

Palm Oil, he said, is a gift from God to Indonesia and Indonesia, which is very beneficial because it is on the equator so that palm oil thrives.

"Other countries really want palm oil to grow in their country with various environmental modifications, but their productivity is far below the economics. So the Anugerah was originally Indonesia's bargaining power to the world," he said.

According to him, the fact is that so far, anyone is too free to corner palm oil without any strong regulatory protection against palm oil strategic commodities.

According to Wrestling, President Prabowo's speech was a form of Indonesian Palm Oil Red, which had been neglected due to always being cornered.

The President's directive is the implementation of Astacita which represents the interests of the Indonesian people.

"The President's firm statement was immediately directed to all ministers, governors, law enforcement officers, and all the nation's children to protect Indonesia's assets, namely palm oil," he said again.

The President's directive about opening a new oil palm plantation, he also said, is in a broad sense for productivity so don't make mistakes.

Increasing palm oil productivity, according to Wrestling, can be done in two ways, first, replanting or PSR (Rejuvenation of People's Palm Oil) or known as intensification or upstreaming. Because through PSR, people's palm oil productivity will increase 3-4 times.

Second, the strategy of extensification or increasing area. Of course, this hope is very wide open considering that the Indonesian forest is still much wider above the minimum standard (forest vs non-forest).

"However, we suggest optimizing the degraded or abandoned land, former mining or claims of forest areas that are no longer forestry as recommended by the research results of the Faculty of Forestry and Environment of IPB in 2023," he said.

Regarding the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), said Wrestling, there are five points that need to be carried out immediately to support President Prabowo's direction.

First, Indonesia must revise regulations that are negative for palm oil. One of them is that the existing palm oil is clearly embedded, so that it is no longer carried out by the Ministry of Forestry as the ministry's habits during Indonesia's independence, which are endless in various ways to catch palm oil.

Second, establish the Indonesian Palm Oil Authority (BOSI) directly under the President. With this agency not only useful for fighting trade politics so far, but the most important thing is that state revenue from palm oil will increase very sharply, double the minimum.

Third, advancing and encouraging Farmers Cooperatives to enter the downstream oil palm industry MSME line, do not be hampered by various regulations.

Fourth, carry out a progressive escort of the Mandatory Green Energy program.

Fifth, enforce regulations that people's oil palm plantations whose productivity is below 1.2 tons of TBS/ha/bln and whose rendemens are below 22 percent mandatory PSR financed by BPDPKS Palm Oil Funds.

Of course, it must also be supported through the relaxation of the PSR requirements with all the limitations of oil palm farmers.

Likewise with corporate palm oil plantations whose productivity is low so that it must be rejuvenated, of course with the corporate internal funding.