RPN and BPDP Collaborate to Improve Smallholder Palm Oil FFB Quality
PT Riset Perkebunan Nusantara (RPN) and the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) are continuing their commitment to improving the quality of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) produced by smallholders. RPN’s Head of Upstream Business, Fandi Hidayat, stated that the competitiveness of smallholder palm oil is determined not only by plantation productivity but also by the quality of the FFB produced. “The application of proper harvesting and post-harvest techniques is key to increasing the selling value of the harvest while meeting industry standards,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday.
In relation to this, RPN, with support from BPDP and the Directorate General of Plantations at the Ministry of Agriculture, held a Palm Oil Farmer Training programme on Harvest and Post-Harvest Techniques under the 2026 Human Resources Development Programme. The training was attended by 133 smallholders and extension officers from Muara Enim Regency, South Sumatra. According to Fandi Hidayat, the training is designed to improve farmers’ competence in applying standardised harvest and post-harvest techniques to produce higher quality FFB.
Participants are expected not only to understand the theory but also to implement correct harvesting and post-harvest practices, thereby increasing productivity, output quality, and business efficiency. The initiative also aims to enhance the quality of human resources among smallholders, so that smallholder palm oil becomes more competitive, adds value, and improves farmer welfare. Secretary of the South Sumatra Provincial Plantation Office, Dian Eka Putra, assessed that harvesting is a stage that critically determines output quality.
Therefore, proper harvest timing, harvesting techniques, and good post-harvest handling will maintain FFB quality and increase the economic value received by smallholders. “Handling harvest and post-harvest according to standards will maintain product quality and facilitate marketing, so that smallholder palm oil has a better selling value,” he added. Head of Extension at the Muara Enim Regency Plantation Office, Muslim Budiman, added that applying correct harvesting techniques will produce quality FFB, reduce yield loss, increase work efficiency, and strengthen smallholders’ bargaining position in the market. As part of the learning process, participants conducted field visits to PT Bina Sawit Makmur and PT Perkebunan Minanga Ogan to observe the direct application of harvest and post-harvest standards.