JAKARTA — The Indonesian palm oil organization (GAPKI) and Nahdhatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mentoring program for smallholders in implementing replanting program in smallholders’ oil palm plantations. Through the mentoring program, the smallholders will get the necessary assistances and guidelines regarding oil palm cultivation.

“GAPKI will team up with NU to implement the replanting program in palm plantations owned by smallholders who are members of the NU. The replanting program is implemented under partnership scheme between the smallholders and the palm oil companies,” GAPKI Chairman Joko Supriyono said in a press release on Sunday, 06 March 2022.

According to Joko, the MoU is important to ensure that the NU smallholders are able to increase their productivity in cultivating their own oil palm plantations. “By having higher productivity, the oil palm smallholders will become more prosperous,” he said.

Joko said that the productivity and prosperity of smallholders are very important factors for development of a region. “The higher prosperity of smallholders, the faster and higher their respective local economies. That way a multiplier effect is created to push up other economic sectors that will in turn drive up further the palm oil industry,” he said.

Joko noted that the palm oil industry has grown the regional economies. Regions that have oil palm plantations have seen a significant economic and social development. Their developments are even better than other regions without the existence of oil palm plantations.

“The palm oil industries have proven to be able to develop a prosperous civilization in regions that are used to be remote and lagging behind,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nahdhatul Ulama Chairman Yahya Chalil Staquf said that the kingdom of Sriwijaya, which triumphed for 700 years in Sumatra, had to lose its glory because it failed to preserve the nature. “Sriwijaya fell due to its failure to conserve Musi river that led to its serious  siltation and shallowing and could not be navigated. As a result, Sriwijaya was cut off from the outside world and isolated,” he said.

Reflecting on such past experience, NU is encouraged to protect the nature. “This is a realization of  NU’s idea to establish partnerships with the government and business players to pursue efforts of improving the people’s prosperity, while continually conserving our mother nature,” he asserted. (*)

Source: republika.co.id