Agrinas Projects 10,000 Workers Needed for Palm Oil Plantations

PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero) projects a need for more than 10,000 workers in the initial phase of its operational transformation to support the management of palm oil plantations resulting from forest area enforcement. The state-owned enterprise stated that the workforce requirement includes supervisory and operational functions to support professional plantation management, including workers to handle plant rehabilitation and replanting. The move is expected to create new jobs, improve the welfare of communities surrounding the plantation areas, and accelerate the increase in state asset productivity. Agrinas Palma Nusantara is a state-owned enterprise mandated to manage plantation areas recovered by the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force. The company is committed to ensuring that plantation management not only increases productivity but also provides legal certainty, protection, and economic benefits for surrounding communities. To support this effort, Agrinas Palma Nusantara is partnering with the Ministry of Cooperatives to develop a cooperative-based agribusiness ecosystem. This commitment was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Agrinas Palma Nusantara President Director Mohammad Abdul Ghani and Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono in Jakarta. President Director Mohammad Abdul Ghani stated that this collaboration is part of the company’s transformation in carrying out its state mandate through productive and sustainable asset management that directly benefits the community. Minister Ferry Juliantono said the cooperation aims to build a stronger, modern, and sustainable palm oil plantation ecosystem based on cooperatives, where Agrinas Palma Nusantara acts as the core and cooperatives serve as professional strategic partners. He added that cooperatives will not only manage plantations but will also be encouraged to enter the processing industry and derivative products so that farmers and communities can enjoy the added value. Through this partnership, the Ministry of Cooperatives and Agrinas Palma Nusantara will collaborate to resolve various governance issues in smallholder plantations, particularly community oil palm plantations located in forest areas. Joint verification will form the basis for establishing and strengthening cooperatives as the company’s strategic partners in professional, transparent, and sustainable plantation management. In its implementation, cooperatives will be involved in operational plantation management, from plant maintenance and harvesting to the transportation of produce. Agrinas Palma Nusantara also stated it will provide technical assistance, governance strengthening, human resource capacity building, and management coaching so that cooperatives can develop into professional and independent business partners.