Stop Solar Imports, Government Wants to Develop Another 2 Million Hectares of Palm Plantations

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, commonly known as Zulhas, has revealed that the government intends to develop 2 million hectares of palm plantations in Indonesia. The Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) stated that this step is part of efforts to strengthen national energy independence, reducing reliance on imports. According to him, palm oil downstreaming has already enabled Indonesia to stop importing solar fuel. Currently, Indonesia has implemented biodiesel blends up to B40 and B50. “Therefore, we will expand further by developing another 2 million hectares for palm plantations and 1 million for sugarcane plantations. We will accelerate this and pursue downstreaming in other sectors,” he added. He further explained that sugarcane will be processed into ethanol, which can be used as a blend in fuel oil (BBM). In addition, the government is promoting the transition from petrol-powered vehicles to battery-electric vehicles. This programme will be supported by subsidy schemes and is targeted to reach tens to hundreds of millions of motorcycles. Zulhas emphasised that all these programmes aim to achieve national energy and food independence, ensuring Indonesia does not depend on other countries. According to him, PAN fully supports the government’s policies, including under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, to accelerate downstreaming and attain self-sufficiency in energy and food.