Pekanbaru – When meeting Commission 2 of South Sumatera Legislative, the Head of Plantation Agency, Riau, Drs. H.Zulher MS explained the direction of plantation industrial developments, especially the three mainstay commodities, they are, palm oil, rubber and coconut. In the future, the developments will be done in intensification and area diversification patterns.

The reason, the extensification which is developed for many years could not be run anymore for the non forest regions in Riau hava no longer existed. “Intensification such as the increasing of production, and the diversification such as the planting of intercrops will be run on. Beside that, the intensification will also be done by downstreaming programmes of the plantation comodity products,” Zulher said as quoted from Metroterkini.

The industrial sectors, Zulher said, have more than 50 thousands hectares are obliged to do downstreaming programmes of the plantation commodities. It is hoped, the downstreaming programmes will have the increasing product selling value, workers, the region developments or the welfare of the farmers. “We are optimist, the commodities of the plantations could welfare the farmers,” Zulher said. (T2)