PTPN IV PalmCo Targets Farmers To Absorb 2.1 Million Superior Palm Seeds

Illustration (Photo: Doc Antara)

JAKARTA - Holding Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero) through Sub Holding PTPN IV PalmCo targets as many as 2.1 million superior certified palm oil seeds to be absorbed by farmers by the end of 2024.

President Director of PTPN IV PalmCo Jatmiko Santosa said that currently the state-owned company that manages the world's largest oil palm plantations has prepared five leading palm oil nursery centers ready to plant in order to make this happen.

"Since it was first rolled out in 2021, we have learned that farmers' demand for the existence of certified superior palm oil seeds continues to increase," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 9.

According to him, since it was first launched until the end of the third quarter of 2024, 1.6 million palm seedlings have been absorbed by farmers in two provinces, namely Jambi and Riau.

His party plans that until next December, it is estimated that as many as 2.1 million seeds will be completed by farmers who are preparing an area for the need for oil palm rejuvenation.

He conveyed that the program for providing superior palm oil seeds would be expanded in various provinces in Indonesia, from Sumatra to Kalimantan.

"Our intentions and dreams are only one, how do farmers get their oil palm products optimally so that the disparities between farmers and corporations that are quite high can now be cut, and the first steps that must be addressed are in the provision of superior seeds," he said.

Palm Oil Research Center survey data shows that oil palm farmers in Indonesia are often trapped by the presence of fake palm oil seeds.

There are a number of reasons why they are trapped, with details of 37 percent being victims of fraud, 14 percent being tempted by low prices, 20 percent not knowing how to buy legal seeds.

In addition, there are 12 percent of farmers trapped in the use of fake seeds due to the complexity of the requirements that must be met, 10 percent do not know the location of the purchase of legal seeds, and 4 percent of farmers stated that the result of the distance from oil palm land to legal seed producers was quite far.

Director of Institutional Relations of PTPN IV Irwan Warin-Angin said, in order to help farmers get the latest information regarding oil palm seeds, his party has developed the Palm Oil Online (SRO) application.

The application, which has been downloaded more than 10,000 times, was designed as simply as possible so that farmers were helped to get the latest information regarding the availability of seeds in each center.