Theft of oil palm fruit rife in North Sumatra

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.