InfoSAWIT, ROHUL – As the widest district having palm oil plantations in Indonesia, Rokan Hulu (Rohul) should be a notice. The needs about the production way to the independent smallholders are so minimal.

Chairman of Serikat Petani Kelapa Ssawit (SPKS) Rohul, Yusro Fadly said that the Palm oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA) should support or develop or improve the way of the smallholders having the plantations in the district.

The fund that PFMA manages should not be used only to support the smallholders’ replanting program (SRP). He hoped that the fund could be used to help the independent smallholders who need to develop or improve the available production ways.

“The improvement of the production ways would be positive for the smallholders because the transportation cost would be safer Rp 100 - 200/kg of the fresh fruit bunch,” he said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT recently.

For information, until now the palm oil plantations in District of Rokan Hulu are about 533.000 hectares or equal to 79% of the district. Riau has the widest palm oil plantations in Indonesia.

“We do not want that Riau is famous with the slogan ‘negeri di bawah minyak, di atas minyak’, for it starts to end. We, the people of Riau do not get many advantages from the crude oil ‘minyak di bawah’ directly. It is now about the crude palm oil (minyak di atas). We should get the advantage. Palm oil is the contributor of the exchange, even up to Rp 239 billion," he said.

He admitted that PFMA helps the smallholders who want to do SRP. “But those having the productive plantations still need attention from PFMA for they also contribute to the exchange from the citation that FMA manages,” he said. (T2)