JAKARTA - After the merger, PTPN IV PalmCo accelerated its digitalization by training and certifying hundreds of employees as drone operators to support data-based palm oil plantation management. This step was taken amid the rapid digital transformation in the plantation sector.
Until the beginning of this year, of the hundreds of participants who attended the training, dozens of employees were declared to have passed the certification as a plantation drone pilot.
The company refers to this program as part of the development of an integrated digital ecosystem that is now the backbone of operations. In total, there are currently 62 employees who have been certified.
PTPN IV PalmCo President Director Jatmiko K. Santosa said the success of digital transformation is not solely determined by the presence of technology, but by the readiness of human resources.
"Digital transformation is not enough to just present advanced technology. The key is to improve human capital competence. Without trained and certified operators, the system will not provide optimal added value for the company," said Jatmiko in his statement, Monday, February 23.
At PTPN IV PalmCo, said Jatmiko, the digitization built by the company is based on a centralized system called PalmCo Business Cockpit, a digital dashboard that integrates operational data from various business units. This system is connected to the spatial mapping platform "Agroview" which allows monitoring of hundreds of thousands of hectares of land in near real-time (real-time).
Through drones operated by certified pilots, Jatmiko said, visual and spatial data from the field is sent directly to the control center.
This information, he said, was then processed to support agronomic decision-making, ranging from fertilizer needs, early detection of pest attacks, to identifying potential productivity decline.
"At the farm level, changes in work patterns are beginning to be felt. Monitoring, which previously relied on manual patrols, is now equipped with high-resolution aerial imagery. Anomalies in the department can be identified faster, so that the response to handling becomes more measurable," he said.
According to Jatmiko, the integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) is also being developed to strengthen the analytical system. "This is a strategic foundation to realize a world-class agricultural company with precise and modern governance," he added.
In the midst of global demands for sustainable plantation practices, continued Jatmiko, the technology-based approach is considered a necessity, not a choice. He assessed that data transparency and operational accountability are important factors to maintain the competitiveness of the national palm oil industry.
"In fact, steps like those taken by PalmCo can serve as a model for the transformation of other state-owned enterprises in the agricultural sector. However, consistency in implementation and improvement of human capital remains a major challenge," he said.
For PalmCo, added Jatmiko, investment in drone training and digital systems is referred to as a long-term investment. "Digitalization is the key to the company's sustainability. With the synergy of superior technology and human resources, productivity can be sustainably improved," he added.
Danantara's attention to PalmCo's digitalization. Managing Director of Business 2 Danantara Setyanto Hantoro, expressed support for the palm oil integrated business strategy run by the company, especially in the context of strengthening food security and national downstream.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Risk Management Danantara Riko Banardi, who had directly reviewed the implementation of the Agroview system in January, assessed that the integration of mechanization, digitization, and human resource development was in line.
"We appreciate the company's success in aligning aspects of mechanization, digitization, with human capital development," said Riko.
On the other hand, this transformation marks a new phase in the management of national oil palm plantations, where decisions are no longer solely based on field experience, but on measurable and integrated data.
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