JAKARTA - Human resource development (HRD) is considered a crucial factor to maintain sustainability and increase the competitiveness of the national palm oil industry in the midst of increasingly tight global competition.
The Executive Director of the Palm Oil Agribusiness Strategic Policy Institute (PASPI) Tungkot Sipayung said that strengthening human resources must be able to answer the increasingly complex challenges of the palm oil industry, including in terms of technology, sustainability, and productivity.
"Human resource development must be able to improve quality, diversity of skills, and the availability of adequate labor to meet the needs of the palm oil industry in the future," said Tungkot in Jakarta, Saturday (28/3/2026).
He assessed that the role of the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) was very strategic in preparing competent palm oil workers through a scholarship program for children of palm oil farmers. The program is carried out together with the Directorate General of Plantation of the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to Tungkot, since its establishment, BPDP has provided scholarships for undergraduate education for children of oil palm farmers as part of the reinvestment of palm oil export levies.
Based on data for 2025, as many as 13,265 participants have received scholarships for human resource development in the palm oil industry at various universities. In addition, technical training programs have also reached around 32,152 oil palm farmers.
In 2026, BPDP targets a quota of 5,000 new students in the scholarship program with a focus on strengthening technical and technological competencies in plantations.
However, Tungkot assessed that the number still needs to be increased to meet the needs of the growing palm oil industry workforce.
"In the future, the development of human resources in oil palm needs to be expanded so that it can produce a more competitive generation and be able to compete with other producer countries such as Malaysia," he said.
He added that improving the quality of human resources is one of the key factors for the Indonesian palm oil industry to be able to maintain its position as a major player in the global market.
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