BPDP Partners with Regency Governments to Accelerate Smallholder Plantation Rejuvenation
The Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) is partnering with regency governments to accelerate the implementation of the Smallholder Palm Oil Rejuvenation (PSR) programme and various other smallholder plantation initiatives across regions. The role of local governments is considered vital due to their direct proximity to farmers and their understanding of local field conditions and needs.
Normansyah Syahruddin, Director of Upstream Sector Fund Disbursement at BPDP, stated that support from regency governments is essential to speed up several stages of the PSR programme. This includes the process of proposing and verifying potential recipients and land, resolving land legality issues, strengthening farmer institutions, and ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds that meet required standards.
“Regency governments are important partners because they are closest to the farmers. Local government support is greatly needed to help accelerate the process of proposing and verifying recipients and land, resolving land legality, strengthening farmer institutions, and ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds that meet requirements,” said Normansyah.
As of 19 August 2026, the PSR programme has reached 187,782 farmers, covering an area of 428,745 hectares. The implementation of the programme is supported by funds amounting to Rp12.86 trillion.
Normansyah added that the better the coordination between local governments and BPDP, the faster the benefits of the programme can be felt by farmers. “If there are processes that can be accelerated in the regions, we certainly hope to be assisted in speeding them up. The better the coordination between local governments and BPDP, the faster the benefits of the programme will be felt by farmers,” he said.
Strengthening the role of local governments is one of BPDP’s main focuses during its participation in the APKASI Expo 2026 at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) BSD, Tangerang. During the event organised by the Association of all Indonesian Regency Governments (APKASI), BPDP opened an information booth and held talk shows regarding various plantation programmes from the upstream to the downstream sectors.
Zaid Burhan Ibrahim, Director of Finance, Risk Management, and General Affairs at BPDP, stated that regency governments hold a strategic position in plantation development because they are closest to the farmers and understand the conditions of the local community.
According to Zaid, plantation development is not only related to increasing productivity in the upstream sector but also needs to be followed by the development of added value in the downstream sector.
“BPDP possesses the funding instruments and programmes, while local governments have proximity to the community and an understanding of field conditions. We hope this collaboration can make programme implementation faster, more targeted, and provide a greater impact,” said Zaid.
In addition to accelerating upstream sector programmes, BPDP is encouraging regency governments to expand community access to human resource (HR) development programmes and plantation research.
Mohammad Alfansyah, Director of Downstream Sector Fund Disbursement at BPDP, stated that HR development and research are long-term investments to increase the competitiveness of Indonesian plantations.
“HR development and research are long-term investments for Indonesian plantations. We want local communities to have access to relevant education and training, while the research results developed can also address real needs in the field,” said Alfansyah.
Since 2016, BPDP’s education and training programmes have benefited 13,265 scholarship recipients and 32,152 training recipients. In 2026, the scholarship quota has been increased to 5,000 people for Diploma 1 (D1) to Bachelor’s (S1) levels.
Alfansyah noted that regency governments can also assist in identifying regional needs and potential that can be developed through HR development and research programmes.
Through strengthened synergy with local governments, BPDP hopes that various plantation programmes can be implemented more quickly while providing broader benefits to farmers and regional economies.