The Ministry of Agriculture through the Oil Palm Development Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) distributed assistance to provinces and regencies/cities that have oil palm plantations.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — East Kutai received funding assistance for oil palm development from the Directorate General of Plantations, Ministry of Agriculture through the Oil Palm Development Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS). This support was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the East Kutai Plantation Department and BPDPKS at the Salak The Heritage Hotel, Bogor City (05/13).
The funding assistance is distributed in the form of facilities and infrastructure in the East Kutai oil palm plantation area in 2023. Previously, the Head of the East Kutai Plantation Department, Sumarjana, and his staff participated in socialization regarding the provision of incentives to all Plantation Departments in provinces and regencies/cities throughout Indonesia that have oil palm plantations.
Sumarjana said that the financial assistance will be utilized for operations and facilitation of facilities and infrastructure activities in the amount of Rp300 million. He said, “The activities in question are the expansion of the agricultural area of 100 hectares, the rejuvenation of 100 hectares of production roads, and the certification of Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) 1 package.”
In 2022, East Kutai also obtained facility and infrastructure assistance from BPDPKS including the intensification of 150 hectares of land, the improvement of production roads of 100 hectares, and one package (1,000 sheets) ISPO certification.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Secretariat of the Oil Palm Plantation Facilities and Infrastructure Team, Directorate General of Plantations, Ministry of Agriculture, Suprihartono, emphasized that his party through the BPDPKS continues to encourage the provision of support for oil palm plantation facilities and infrastructure in accordance with the established mechanism.
Suprihartono explained, “Support for this MoU has been registered with No. 100.3.7.1/168/Disbun-Set/V/2023. This is the momentum in an effort to maintain the role of oil palm on an ongoing basis. To that end, the government has established a policy regarding raising funds for oil palm plantations as mandated in article 93 of Law No. 39 of 2014 on Plantations.”
One form of the use of the funds is to provide facilities and infrastructure for oil palm plantations. “Support for the development of oil palm through this policy includes replanting of oil palm plants, human resource development, as well as assistance with facilities and infrastructure,” concluded Suprihartono.
