Theft of oil palm fruit rife in North Sumatra

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

A comprehensive approach is needed to curb the rife theft of oil palm fruit at private and state-owned plantations in North Sumatra, according to a legislator and a policeman.

Serta Ginting, deputy chairman of the North Sumatra provincial legislative council, said that besides enforcing the law, security personnel and the local administration should use a persuasive approach to stop locals plundering oil palm plantations.

"Both local police and the military must enhance cooperation to crack down on the well-organized syndicate that is behind the theft of oil palm fruit because the syndicate is allegedly backed by servicemen," he said over the weekend.

He acknowledged that locals living around the plantations had the audacity to steal the palm fruit because they were backed by a syndicate that purchased the stolen fruit at a low price.

"Unless stern measures are taken against the syndicate, the theft will continue," he said.

Serta also said that oil palm plantations should conduct community development programs in villages in their surroundings to deter plundering.

"Oil palm fruit theft is rife because of the poor living conditions of local people living near the plantations and because they have no a sense of belonging," he said.

Oil palm fruit sells for between Rp 300 and Rp 500 per kilogram. Plantation security guards are unable to take action against the theft because it is reportedly backed by servicemen.

Serta said the legislature frequently received complaints about theft at more than a dozen private and state plantations in the province and had asked security personnel to take stern action, but the theft continued.

Sr. Comr. Iskandar Hasan, spokesman for the North Sumatra Police, concurred and said both oil palm plantations and security authorities should make local people aware of the law to dissuade them from stealing the fruit.

"Besides promoting the law and the Criminal Code, the oil palm plantations should also conduct community development programs to empower the villagers," he said.

He cited as an example state-owned oil palm plantation PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV's allotting 10 percent of its annual profit to help village cooperatives in Simalungun regency and employing more local villagers.

"Oil palm fruit theft has been rife because the villagers have no a sense of being a part of the plantations," he said.

Iskandar also conceded that the police had difficulty taking stern measures against plunderers because they were backed up by hoodlums and soldiers.