18/09/2023 (Antara News), Pekan Baru - The Agriculture Ministry has launched a program to replant oil palms on 10 thousand hectares (ha) of smallholder farmland in Riau Province.

Director General of Plantation at the ministry Andi Nur Alam Syah said that ministry officials discussed the Smallholder Oil Palm Replanting (PSR) program during a meeting with Riau Governor Syamsuar.

"Our today's meeting with the Riau Governor was related to the PSR Program with partnerships. Collaboration is needed to maintain Riau's oil palm plantations and increase their productivity," he informed here on Monday.

According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), as of 2022, the area under oil palm plantations in Indonesia stood at 14.99 million ha, with 19 percent of the land, or 2.86 million ha, located in Riau.

Although Riau is listed as the main palm oil-producing province in Indonesia, many oil palm trees in the area are aged 20–25 years, he said.

Therefore, the PSR Program must be carried out as soon as possible and uniformly in Riau province, Syah added.

"Replanting must be carried out because there are many plantations in Riau that are no longer productive, and Riau has the largest area under oil palm plantations," he said.

Syah added that the replanting program can be carried out through partnerships and cooperation with private parties and the government, or pursued through other official ways.

"Today, we carried out replanting in Kampar district through a collaboration between (oil palm) plasma and nucleus farmers," he expounded.

According to him, there is a regulation urging farmers to promptly apply for the PSR program. However, there are some barriers to their participation, for instance, some plantation areas cover parts of forests.

"We have discussed the issue together to find a solution, including with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to come down to inspect so that smallholder oil palm companies can get the PSR program," he said.

https://en.antaranews.com/news/293922/govt-starts-oil-palm-replanting-in-riau-smallholder-farms