Strengthen Human Capital Regeneration of the Palm Oil Industry, BPDP Opens the 2026 Palm Oil Human Capital Scholarship Program

Director of Distribution of Downstream Sector Funds BPDP Mohammad Alfansyah (right). (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) has again strengthened its efforts to develop human resources in the plantation sector by opening the 2026 Palm Human Resources Scholarship Program.

This year, the quota for scholarship recipients has been increased to 5,000 people, higher than the previous year's quota of 4,000 recipients.

The increase in the quota makes the 2026 Palm Oil Human Resources Scholarship the largest scholarship program since it was first launched in 2016.

This program is supported by 42 partner educational institutions spread across various regions in Indonesia and is aimed at producing competent, professional plantation workers, as well as being able to meet the needs of the ever-growing palm oil industry.

Since it was implemented a decade ago, the Sawit Human Resources Scholarship Program has provided benefits to 13,265 students until 2025.

This program is the result of collaboration between BPDP, the Ministry of Agriculture, universities, and industry players in strengthening the quality of human resources in the national plantation sector.

Director of Distribution of Downstream Sector Funds of BPDP Mohammad Alfansyah said that the addition of quota recipients was a form of long-term investment to improve the quality of Indonesian human resources, especially in the palm oil sector.

According to him, BPDP is committed to continuing the program as part of a sustainable human capital development strategy.

He added that with a larger quota, more young generations have the opportunity to access higher education while preparing themselves to become professional personnel needed by the palm oil industry in the future.

"As long as BPDP stands, the Palm Oil Human Resources Scholarship Program will remain in place. This year, BPDP has increased the quota for Palm Oil Human Resources Scholarship recipients to 5,000 people. This increase is our commitment to provide wider opportunities for the younger generation of Indonesia to obtain higher education and prepare superior human resources who will be the drivers of the palm oil industry in the future," he said in a media briefing, Tuesday, June 2.

According to Alfansyah, this program is also proof that the palm oil sector has a real contribution to national development, especially in the field of education and capacity development for young generations.

He explained that BPDP also continues to strengthen the concept of link and match between the world of education and industry, namely one of the steps taken is to involve representatives of the palm oil industry in the Human Resources Development Committee to ensure that the education curriculum is in accordance with the needs of the labor market.

In addition, Alfansyah said that BPDP routinely facilitates meetings between universities and plantation companies to evaluate the relevance of the curriculum with industry developments.

He added that through this approach, learning materials can be updated more adaptively so that graduates have competencies that match the needs of the field.

"We also dissect again, the existing curriculum, whether the existing curriculum can follow the needs in the field, if suddenly in the field there are still things that are lacking, we will add the curriculum, or there are things that we replace, according to the needs in the field, so we try to be more agile, to be able to follow," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director of the CWE Polytechnic, Nugroho Kristono, assessed that the synergy between the education world and the industrial sector is an important factor in producing graduates who are ready to work and have high competitiveness.

"CWE Polytechnic together with all partner universities of BPDP is committed to producing qualified and competitive plantation human resources. The Palm Oil Human Resources Scholarship Program is an important instrument to prepare young generations who have academic competence, practical skills, and a strong understanding of the modern plantation industry," he said.

He added that the involvement of 42 partner universities also showed a joint commitment to producing superior talent that can support the sustainability of the national palm oil industry.

On the same occasion, the Director of Palm Oil and Various Palma of the Ministry of Agriculture, Iim Mucharam, emphasized that human resource development is one of the main keys to maintaining the competitiveness and sustainability of the Indonesian palm oil industry.

He assessed the palm oil sector as a national strategic commodity that requires the support of quality labor.

According to him, in the midst of increasingly complex industry challenges, plantation talent regeneration must be prepared early through education and training that is relevant to the development of the sector.

"The Palm Oil Human Resources Scholarship Program is a strategic step for the government to produce professional generations who are able to increase the productivity, innovation, and sustainability of the Indonesian plantation sector," he said.

The 2026 Palm Human Resources Scholarship Program is intended for participants who will pursue diploma (vocational) and undergraduate (S1) education at 42 BPDP partner educational institutions.

The main target of this program is young people from families of farmers, plantation workers, and communities that have links to the palm oil industry.

In addition to expanding access to higher education, this program is expected to strengthen the regeneration of plantation labor, improve the quality of graduates, support economic growth in the palm oil center region, and maintain the competitiveness of the Indonesian palm oil industry at the global level.

Registration for the 2026 Palm Human Resources Scholarship Program is scheduled to open on June 3, 2026. In addition, prospective participants can access complete information regarding requirements, schedules, selection mechanisms, and the registration process through the sdmperkebunan.bpdp.or.id page.