InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Chairman of Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS), Sabarudin said that the government should not do political interests in smallholders replanting program (SRP) by escalating the numbers to be Rp 60 million per hectare (from the previous, Rp 30 million per hectare), in the election day.
He told that if SRP fund would be increasing, this is very weird because this happened for two years. When SPKS proposed to escalate SRP numbers, the government did not approve it. SPKS appreciated Commission IV Indonesian Legislators and DPD for struggling with us to escalate SRP fund for the past two years to be Rp 60 million per hectare.
“That is why if the government would escalate SRP fund, it is better to realize it after the election day. Do not take advantage on SRP fund for election interests,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Tuesday (13/2/2024).
Every president and vice president - candidate has their commitment to escalate SRP numbers and would improve palm oil plantation governance to be better than it is now. President Joko Widodo might not do many though there have been regulations in palm oil sectors, for instance, downstream programs.
For all these years, the downstream programs were just about to escalate added value, never delivered impacts for the smallholders and people. if the government wants to deliver impacts for the people, smallholders, the village enterprises should run the downstream programs to deliver welfare for smallholders, not only for industries.
Sabarudin thought, SPKS knew that only Ganjar-Mahfud obviously had program to improve smallholders’ plantation governance in their campaigns, such as, wanted to have palm oil agency that would be managed by president, escalate additional values for downstream communities, escalate SRP fund, get smallholders’ data, would accomplish palm oil conflicts, and reinforce access for smallholders in agriculture production infrastructures.
“SPKS hoped SRP should not be the campaign tools in the election day, just like the others, such as, social helps and others,” he said. (T2)
