InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) held a Palm Oil Industry Introduction Workshop for participants of the 2025 Student Research Competition. The event served as an orientation for 114 students from 32 universities across Indonesia, giving them insight into the national palm oil industry from upstream to downstream.
The participants were 40 research groups that successfully passed a rigorous selection process from 814 research proposals. Each group is entitled to research funding of up to Rp20 million, with a research duration of about 6-8 months. At the end of the period, all research results will be re-evaluated to determine the three main winners.
"The selection for this competition was very strict, with only 3% passing. We want the younger generation to get to know, research, and discover the various benefits of palm oil from an early age," said Director of Downstream Sector Fund Distribution at BPDP, Mohammad Alfansyah, as quoted by InfoSAWIT from BPDP on Thursday (9/4/2025). He emphasized that student research is important for promoting sustainability, increasing productivity, and giving birth to new innovations for the palm oil industry.
The workshop featured three main speakers who also served as judges for the research competition:
Dr. Bandung Sahari, Director of Agronomy Services and Sustainability at PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk, who emphasized the efficiency and sustainability of palm oil as a global vegetable oil.
Dr. Donald Siahaan, a senior researcher at the Palm Oil Research Center, who explained the potential of the downstream industry, including "The Magic of Three"—cooking oil, oleochemicals, and biodiesel.
Edy Suprianto, Ph.D., from PT Riset Perkebunan Nusantara, who provided guidance on scientific writing and academic principles for the students.
In addition to technical matters, participants were also briefed on the administrative and financial management of research by Fitriyah, a BPDP research analyst. According to her, orderly and transparent governance is an important foundation for producing high-quality research.
The workshop will not stop in the classroom. The students will also conduct field visits to the palm oil plantations and industry of PT Gunung Sejahtera Ibu Pertiwi (GSIP) in Pangkalan Bun, a subsidiary of PT Astra Agro Lestari. There, they will directly observe cultivation practices, mill processing, and research and development activities.
With this combination of theory, practice, and field research, BPDP hopes the activity will not only strengthen the academic capacity of the students but also give rise to concrete solutions that can address the challenges of the national palm oil industry in the future. (T2)
