Menkop Teten Captures Downstream Opportunities From Palm Waste Processing Tools

BOGOR - The Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (Kemenkop UKM) captured the opportunity to downstream SME products through the innovation of waste processing devices for palm oil empty bunch fiber into fabric fibers.

"If we downstream this, this waste can be used to substitute fabric fiber, textile garment, and plastic which so far we do not have a source of fiber, because we do not have cotton," said Coordinating Minister for SMEs Teten Masduki, quoted from Antara, Friday, September 15.

Teten, who was present at IPB Dramaga, visited a number of tents for innovation and technology exhibitions in the courtyard of Graha Widya Wisuda Building, Dramaga IPB Campus, one of which was observing palm oil waste processing technology.

He said the technology developed by Dr Siti Enjoying and the IPB Science and Technology Institution Team was also a solution to the existence of palm oil waste in Indonesia which has not yet been optimally managed.

Indonesia occupies the first position, as a country that produces Crude Palm Oil (CPO) or the largest palm oil in the world.

"Indonesia has large palm oil waste, because we produce the largest CPO in the world reaching 50 million tons a year. So far, the waste is only for animal food or organic fertilizer," he said.

Teten expressed his interest in developing oil palm waste processing as technology for downstreaming SME products.

"I am interested, my team will meet the technology inventor because I got the task from the President to downstream, process plantation products into downstream products," he said.

Representative of the IPB Research and Innovation Directorate, Lia Maulianawati, said the oil palm waste processing tool had been developed since 2018.

"This waste processing tool can produce finished items such as textile cloth fibers, bicycle helmets, to bullet-proof vests," he said.

Especially for fibered fabric products, said Lia, it has succeeded in absorbing hundreds of workers to produce batik clothing from palm waste imported from around factories in Bogor.

Meanwhile, bicycle helmet products have received recognition of the Indonesian National Certificate (SNI) because they can absorb collisions, and have superior mechanical and thermal properties.

"The cooperative sport of the palm oil empty bunch fiber is able to absorb energy at a very high rate during the collision. This Vest is able to withstand a Clock pistol with MU1-TJ bullets at an effective distance of 25-50 meters," he said.