10 April 2023

Deputy Chairman of the North Sumatra Association of Indonesian Entrepreneurs (Apindosu) in charge of plantations and agriculture, Usli Sarsi appreciated national palm oil companies that are ready to help independent smallholders obtain the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) sustainable palm oil certification required by the global market. This is because the certificate can benefit farmers, the downstream industry and their products will get a premium price. 

According to Usli, this is a good step because it is not easy for farmers to get RSPO certificates considering the many requirements that must be met. With the support of national palm oil companies, more and more farmers will obtain RSPO certificates.

Usli said that the sustainable energy program launched by the government is a challenge for the palm oil industry. With the sustainable energy program, the demand for sustainable palm oil will automatically increase, but independent smallholders face various challenges in achieving sustainable practices due to limited expertise and resources.

“Support for farmers is needed to be able to compete in the market and contribute to efforts to sustain the palm oil industry,” said Usli Sarsi who is also the President Director of PT Mahkota Group Tbk by telephone, Friday (7/4).

Apart from RSPO, Indonesia currently also has a similar certification standard, the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil System (ISPO). This of course, continued Usli, must also be supported so that the management of oil palm plantations in Indonesia must be in accordance with standards can be achieved. That way the yield of oil palm heads in Indonesia can be maximized.

At present, Usli admitted, the management of oil palm plantations by independent smallholders is still below standard, so the results obtained are not optimal and this affects the price of receiving palm oil at the Palm Oil Mill (PKS) which can certainly harm the farmers themselves.

“We strongly support programs that encourage farmers to develop and manage better oil palm plantations so that they can produce better quality,” said Usli.

Source : https://medan.tribunnews.com/2023/04/05/mahasiswa-universitas-mtu-harus-miliki-jiwa-wirausaha