Company Assistance Transforms Palm Farmers' Plantation Management Practices

JAKARTA – Company assistance is beginning to transform the way palm farmers manage their plantations, from habit-based approaches to more measured practices, while also driving productivity improvements.

For a long time, the challenges faced by palm farmers in various regions have not only involved commodity price fluctuations but also technical issues in the plantations, ranging from poor-quality seedlings and improper fertilisation patterns to pest and disease control.

“Through the plasma partnership with PT Sukses Karya Mandiri (SKM), we as cooperative members have truly felt the benefits. The results have greatly helped our family economy,” said Indra Ayu Riantika, a plasma farmer from Jati Sejahtera Cooperative in Sukamara Regency, Central Kalimantan.

Indra admitted that before the assistance, cultivation practices were still carried out in a generational manner without clear agronomic calculations. Fertilisation was done when possible, while the harvesting process followed old habits.

A similar experience was felt by Muslimin, a plasma farmer from Belum Lukut Cooperative in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. Thanks to assistance from PT Anugerah Agung Prima Abadi (AAPA), his plantation productivity reached 24.51 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches per hectare per year.

“From knowing absolutely nothing about caring for palm oil, now from the plantation, I have found hope. Through perseverance and ongoing assistance, the plantation I own has shown real results to support my life and my family,” he explained.

This assistance is part of the partnership model run by Triputra Agro Persada through several subsidiaries in various operational areas. This approach not only focuses on harvest yields but also on improving farmers’ capacity.