BPDPKS Steps Up Coordination to Boost Oil Palm Replanting

President Director of BPDPKS Eddy Abdurrachman planned to strengthen coordination and communication among stakeholders to improve quality of the Oil Palm Tree Replanting Program.

BPDPKS Steps Up Coordination to Boost Oil Palm Replanting
Board of directors and former directors of BPDPKS at handover ceremony of the chairmanship of BPDKS in Jakarta, Thursday (5/3/2020). (PHOTO: BPDPKS Doc)

JAKARTA—President Director of the Indonesia Oil Palm Plantations Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) Eddy Abdurrachman planned to strengthen coordination and communication among stakeholders to improve quality of the Oil Palm Tree Replanting Program. The program, locally known as PSR, is aimed to boost productivity of smallholders’ plantations.

Coordination and communication were deemed necessary to speed up implementation of the program as Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati also demanded it. Eddy told his plan at handover ceremony of the chairmanship of BPDKS in Jakarta, Thursday (5/3/2020).

He expected his experience as Secretary of Coordinating Economic Minister can have huge benefits for him to carry out the plans. “We will work hard on strengthening coordination to improve quality of PSR program,” Eddy said in his remark.

He explained that good coordination and communication were deemed necessary to make easier for the farmers to access the program. “Easy access for the farmers will encourage continuity in palm oil industry as also demanded by the government and all palm oil stakeholders.”

Eddy also said that BPDPKS has other priority tasks to be continued and be strengthened. One of them is BPDPKS’ effort to support achievement of energy security by developing new and renewable energy generated from palm oil. “Apart from that, BPDPKS has many programs to do, including development of human resources in palm oil industry, conducting research, and so forth.”

Earlier, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani reminded the agency about the oil palm tree replanting program which is one of BPDPKS’ prime objective in managing palm oil fund. “According to the President's direction, the palm oil replanting program must be carried out for 500,000 hectares within the next three years. I want replanting to be the focus of BPDPKS,” Sri said on her remark in oath-taking ceremony of BPDPKS directors in Jakarta, Monday (2/3/2020).

Minister of Finance has also appointed Zaid Burhan Ibrahim as BPDPKS’ Director of Finance, General, and Risk Management; and Nugroho Adi Wibowo as BPDPKS’ Head of Biodiesel Development Division.

Speaking at the same event, Dono Boestami who previously served as BPDPKS’ presiden director,  explained about efforts he took to speed up PSR fund disbursement. He said, one of the main initiatives was to encourage the utilization of digital applications to accelerate verification process. BPDPKS also encourages the appointment of surveyors and simplification of the verification process. Dono hoped the programs would be continued and improved.

"This effort has increased PSR fund distribution from 2016 to 2019 to Rp2.34 trillion in land area of around 100,000 Hectares and has involved 41,707 farmers. The quality of technical recommendations had also been improved as indicated by lesser number of technical recommendations that need to be corrected," he said.

Similarly, Chairman of BPDPKS’ Board of Trustees Rusman Heriawan said that BPDPKS is a strategic institution to support palm oil industry. For that reason, BPDPKS must improve the quality performance of funds support for the PSR program.

"It is deemed necessary to maintain continuity of palm oil industry, including by improving the quality performance of funds support for the PSR program.” Rusman said. **