JAKARTA - The Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) is considered to have a strategic role in supporting the development of national palm oil industry research.
Until 2025, the institution has funded around 400 research titles covering various aspects of the upstream to downstream palm oil sector.
The Executive Director of the Palm Oil Agribusiness Strategic Policy Institute (PASPI) Tungkot Sipayung said the funding support for research carried out by BPDP was proof of the government's commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of the Indonesian palm oil industry.
"Research funded by BPDP starts from the upstream to the downstream of the palm oil sector. From this point of view, BPDP's commitment to supporting palm oil research is very clear," said Tungkot through a written statement received by VOI, Tuesday, April 7.
According to him, research funded by BPDP covers various fields, ranging from the development of new materials based on high-value palm and biomass to studies on plantation environments and sustainability certification to support the circular economy.
However, Tungkot assessed that there were still major challenges in the implementation of research results in the industrial sector. Many research results still stop at the stage of scientific publication and have not been applied in business practices.
"What the palm oil industry needs is business innovation. It is ironic indeed, palm oil research is increasing but palm oil productivity is stagnant and even declining," he said.
He gave an example of research on ganoderma disease that attacks oil palm plants.
Although there are quite a lot of studies related to the disease, until now there is no national policy that can provide a comprehensive solution.
In the future, Tungkot assessed that it was necessary to accelerate the implementation of research results so that they could become real business and policy innovations for the industry.
In addition, the research paradigm also needs to shift from a supply-driven approach to a market-driven approach.
He added that research in the palm oil sector must also be able to answer global challenges, including issues of sustainability, productivity improvement, industry efficiency, to the creation of new products and markets.
"As sophisticated as research is, if it cannot produce solutions to the real problems faced by the palm oil industry, it is not much use," he said.
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