Pontianak – West Kalimantan (Kalbar) Governor Sutarmidji has urged all oil palm plantation companies operating in the province to help develop the villages around their plantations to become self-sufficient villages through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
“Oil palm companies should establish a synergy with the local people in their operations, with a view to developing their villages into self-sufficient ones. I think you can do it through your CSR,” the governor said in Pontianak on Tuesday, 21 February 2023, as reported by Antara.
He said that by strengthening their synergy with the villages, the companies create their good image and ensure their sustainability as oil palm plantations companies. “We can differ on this, but just prove what you did with facts and data. For example, planting trees outside of the oil palm plantations. We can later calculate the carbon, biomass and CO2, as all of them can calculated,” he said.
He also urged the oil palm companies to allow village-owned companies (BUMDes) to produce crude palm oil (CPO) under the scheme of cooperatives or BUMDes. “There are many other things the companies can do in partnerships with BUMDes and the local people to generate the village economies. It can be procurement of foods or catering for companies, or other businesses,” the governor said.
He said that during the last few years, Kalbar has managed to develop 586 villages to self-sufficient ones. “Initially, it’s only one self-sufficient village. But now we’ve managed to increase such status into 586 self-sufficient villages, higher than our target of 425 self-sufficient villages,” he said.
Governor Sutarmidji also asked all regents and mayors in West Kalimantan to push all oil palm plantation companies operating in their respective areas to become members of the Indonesian Palm Oil Companies (GAPKI). He made it as a requirement for the plantation companies in the province through a circular letter he issued recently.
He said Kalbar is one of Indonesia’s provinces as the largest producers of palm oil. There are 364 oil palm plantation companies operating in Kalbar province. “To synergize all of the palm oil stakeholders, and to enable them as partners of the government in formulating conducive policies for development of sustainable palm oil industry, the palm oil companies in Kalbar should join an association,” he said.
GAPKI Kalbar Office Head Purwanti Munawir warmly welcomed the governor’s call for the plantation companies to join GAPKI. “So far, only 74 companies that have become our members in GAPKI. But we’re open for the others to become our new members. As a forum of communication, consultation, advocacy and facilitation, GAPKI accommodates the interests of all members,” Purwanti said.
According to Purwanti, in terms of village development, the operations of palm oil companies in the province have resulted in direct and indirect positive impacts to the villages and local people living around the oil palm plantations.
Source: voi.id/sawitku.id/antara
