InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The policy about palm oil development for plasma as it is regulated should not regress. A data showed that the plasma partnership only reached 8% or 617 thousand hectares (ha) but the plantations of the companies reached about 7 million ha. One thing for sure is that the plasma quote that the government obliged about 20% from the palm oil plantations would not be realized.

According to Vice Chairman of Permanent Committee of Plantation Development, Indonesian Chambers and Industries, Teguh Patriawan, the policy of plasma has been running since 2007 and it is normal if it is late enough to develop.

He thought that the policy should not regress because there have been many independent smallholders successful and start to be the steady ones. The areas around the plantations and developed since 10 – 15 years ago have become the surroundings and the palm oil plantations of the smallholders themselves. The integrated business and the plantations develop. “Why should the people around the plantations be led to have palm oil plantation?” he asked.

Actually let them develop naturally to do other business in palm oil circle. “For example, the supply of workers, fresh fruit bunch or crude palm oil transportation, local contractors, and others,” he said Friday (1/3/2019) in Jakarta.

The other issue is that there is no regulation regulating or helping the company to have obligation to develop plasma plantation if the company is difficult to get the areas, cooperate, fund, and development so that (plasma development) runs well. “Is it easy to say that by one ‘sentence’ - developing plasma could be realized. Is it magic?” he said.

It is difficult too to lead the people within many characters. The other issue is that about the fund frun the banks because the company should be the ‘avalis’. “It is really difficult,” he said. (T2)