Indonesia: North Barito replanting oil palm trees over 900 hectares

Kasriadi Antara 3 Jul 18;

Muara Teweh, C. Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - The District administration of North Barito, Central Kalimantan, is replanting over 900 hectares of palm plantations of the plasma farmers of PT Antang Ganda Utama in the sub-district of South Teweh.

"In the first phase, replanting will cover 900 hectares this year of a total replanting plan of 3,600 hectares of the plasma farms in the district," Abdurahman, head of the plantation division of district plantation service, said here on Monday.

The first phase of replanting is expected to be completed in 2019, Abdurahman said.

The replanting will cover the plasma plantations of 1,800 farm families including 350 hectares in the village of Tawan Jaya; 250 hectares in the village of Bukit Sawit, 150 hectares in the village of Pandran Permai and another 150 hectares in the village of Pandran Raya.

"After the completion of the first phase of replanting expected in 2019, the second phase would follow in the next year," he said.

Abdurahman said the oil palm trees of the plasma farmers have been too old reaching 23-24 years that their productivity has declined sharply. Normally the productivity was more than 10 tons of fresh fruit bunches a hectare, bur now they could produce on 8 tons per hectare per year.

The plasma plantations entitled to the assistance in replanting program of the district administration are those having the certificate and the plantations are not in forest lands.

The replanting program is a grant raised from the levies on crude palm oil exports.

The replanting will use high yield seedlings from nursery in Batam, Riau Islands , Abduragman said .

The plasma plantations of PT Antang Ganda Utama are the oldest oil palm plantations in Central Kalimantan. PT Antang Ganda Utama is now a member of the PT Dhanistha Surya Nusantara group which has 18,087 hectares of oil palm plantations with a CPO production of 3,200 tons per month.

The government also offers replanting assistance for oil palm farmers in other regions. Many oil palm plantations of the farmers have been too old and less productive .

Indonesia is the world largest producer of palm oil and palm oil is among the largest export earners for the country.


Editor: Otniel Tamindael