PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The Secretary General of the Indonesian Palm Oil Farmers Association (Apkasindo), Rino Afrino, revealed that in the last two weeks his party had held technical talks with one of the ministries regarding the formation of a special agency for palm oil. This effort is aimed at pushing the idea into the hands of President Prabowo Subianto.
“Our goal is to push for the realization of this body so that it reaches his hands. So, the President gets documents or information that can explain the great benefits that can be generated from the formation of this body,” said Rino, in a discussion entitled ‘Peel Through Sustainable Palm Oil Governance’ held by the Forum of Agricultural Journalists (Forwatan) at the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), attended by Palmoilmagazine.com, in Jakarta, on Thursday (19/12/2024).
From the discussion, an interesting issue arose regarding the impact of the establishment of this special agency on state revenue. One of the important points discussed was whether the agency could increase state revenues from the palm oil sector. According to Rino, this is the main key in answering the various complaints that have existed so far.
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“The answer is yes, because if there is a body that is more organized, neater, and supported by good data validation, the optimization of this sector will be easier to do. The most important thing is to increase state revenue,” he explained.
Rino added that there is potential for state revenue from the palm oil sector to increase to two or three times the current level. This huge potential, according to him, has not been fully utilized.
Meanwhile, Forestry and Plantation Law Expert Sadino said that if a special body for palm oil was formed, whether it was called BOSI or a special body for palm oil, it should focus on accelerating the resolution of problems in the palm oil sector.
“This special body is important to overcome the current chaos. If the palm oil sector has a strong authority and is directly related to the President, then regulations will no longer be considered absolute or as ‘holy books’,” he said.
Sadino also highlighted the importance of harmonizing regulations between various ministries, such as ATR/BPN, Trade, and KLHK. This is to eliminate overlapping policies that have been hampering the palm oil sector.
“What is needed is acceleration and coordination so that conflicting ideas and policies can be better resolved,” he concluded.
The establishment of this special body for palm oil is expected not only to respond to complaints, but also to open up great potential that can encourage the palm oil sector to become more productive and contribute significantly to the country’s economy. (P2)
