Dokumen Indonesia:
Palm oil farmers are still stepchildren
A number of oil palm farmers' needs have not been a priority for the government. Such as the lack of assistance for sustainable gardening processes to the rejuvenation of people's palm oil or replanting that is still far from the target.
The Palm Oil Farmers Union (SPKS) in 2017 conducted a study of 10,000 palm oil farmers in Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and Southeast Sulawesi.
As a result, 71 percent of farmers have not joined the farmers’ institutions and 77 percent of palm oil productivity is less than 1 ton per hectare per month. The study also revealed that 54 percent of farmers use uncertified seedlings, 97 percent of farmers have not been accompanied by extensionists, and 73 percent of farmers sell palm fruit bunches to middlemen.
From the aspect of land ownership, 79 percent of farmers still do not have a land certificate and only eight percent of farmers have a Certificate of Plantation for Cultivation (STDB). Another problem of oil palm farmers is the rejuvenation of oil palm for trees that are not productive. The Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP-KS) actually has a people's palm oil rejuvenation program. It's just that, until October 2019 the realization was only 29 percent of the target.
This research is the result of the cooperation of the Sustainable Madani and Katadata Insight.
