JAKARTA – The implementation of biodiesel 40 percent and 50 percent (B40 and B50) could not be realized without the increase of palm oil production, which should be driven through replanting of oil palm plantations, a legislator said recently.
The House of Representatives’ (DPR) Commission VII Deputy Chairman Maman Abdurrahman said that the government should prioritize the replanting of palm plantations, especially those already old and no longer productive. It is necessary to increase the national production of palm oil, which is needed as feedstock to produce the biodiesel under the national mandatory program.
“President-elect Prabowo Subianto has envisioned that as the next president of Indonesia, he will upgrade the biodiesel mandatory program from the current B35 to B40 and B50. To ensure the feedstock his administration needs to increase production through replanting program,” Maman said as reported by Sawit Setara.
“We cannot realize the B40 and B50 programs, if we don’t change the upstream policies that stand in the way of raising production,” he said.
He also pointed out that it is very important to implement the replanting to avoid shortage of supply as a result of the biodiesel production. “Currently, Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil. We have to increase our production through implementation of good governance to avoid becoming importer due to shortage of palm oil supply at local market,” he said.
“We should avoid that happening. We need to anticipate by implementing the replanting program,” he said.
Maman has also underlined the importance of using ecofriendly technology to produce the biodiesel 50 percent. “I believe this is the responsibility of all stakeholders plantation companies, smallholders, to switch from conventional method to mechanization and ecofriendly technology,” he said.
“Alhamdulillah (Thanks God), President Jokowi has found the solution through the implementation of B30 and B35. It should be continued by further upgrading to B50 program,” said Maman. (*)
