Govt Pushes Smallholders for Replanting Oil Palm Plantation

The Ministry of Agriculture invited oil palm smallholders to play an prominent role in replanting their plantations so that the government’s target to replant 185 thousand hectares can be achieved this year. The active role it is also required in order to utilize replanting fund provided by the Indonesian Oil Palm Estate Fund (BPDPKS). `We demand smallholders to play active role in replanting program so that they can use the fund provided by BPDPKS optimally. We are working hard to meet the target of replanting 185 thousand hectares plantantation this year. Smallholders has to do something as the fund is ready to use,” Director of Plantation at Agriculture Ministry Bambang said in Jakarta, Monday (1/10/2018). Bambang strongly believes the target to replant 185 thousand hectares can be achieved this year, given that  there are still many plantation yet to be replanted. “There are 617 thousand hectares plantation owned by farmers incorporated in oil palm smallholders association (Aspekpir)  that need to be replanted,” Bambang said. In this replanting program, BPDPKS provides fund to disburse to smallholders in a grant of Rp25 million per hectare. Other costs will be covered by banking credit. ***