33
INDOFOOD AGRI RESOURCES LTD
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
The RSPO holds annual Roundtable Meetings on Sustainable
Palm Oil that is well attended by smallholders, environmental
scientists, NGOs, government agencies and palm oil
companies. The stakeholders will meet to discuss trends and
share solutions to common challenges.
In 2014, RSPO held its 12
th
roundtable meeting, or RT12, in
Kuala Lumpur. Pak Ajusman, an IndoAgri plasma farmer from
KUD Teratai Biru, was invited by RSPO and IndoAgri to attend
the event as a member of its delegation, and to contribute his
perspective and experience as a smallholder.
Pak Ajusman described his experience at the event as a rare
opportunity to meet oil palm farmers from other countries.
He was reminded about safety on the farm, the importance of
using Personal Protective Equipment and harvesting with the
correct equipment.
“I now know a lot more about my plantation than before –
the economic benefits as well as the potential impact on the
environment, such as greenhouse gas emissions, reduction in
carbon sequestration, and the loss of biodiversity. I understand
that sustainable palm oil development is the way to go if we
want to increase production and still protect the environment
and the welfare of society,” Pak Ajusman said.
He planned to use his new knowledge and experience to
develop a sustainable plantation. “I will apply the eight RSPO
Smallholders principles and 39 criteria in my plantation and
share my experience with other farmers and KUDs. I believe
that the adoption of RSPO principles and criteria will increase
our productivity and income.”
There were other practices, like the use of organic fertilisers,
which needed to be improved upon. For instance, the
smallholders used to conduct leaf analysis to ensure the
organic compost was suitable for the oil palm and soil.
However, subsequent budget consideration had removed this
requirement. “We have to bring back these best practices and
find other ways that will improve crop yield and productivity of
our plantations,” he emphasised.
Pak Ajusman hoped that more opportunities could be provided
to other plasma farmers to learn from events like RT12, adding
that “IndoAgri and Lonsum are already assisting smallholders
like myself to get our plasma plots RSPO certified. It will be
good to extend the programme to the independent farmers so
that everyone can be on board to create sustainable oil palm
farming in Indonesia.”
A SMALLHOLDER FARMER AT RSPO
ROUNDTABLE MEETING
I will apply
the eight RSPO
Smallholders
principles and
39 criteria in
my plantation
and share my
experience with
other farmers
and KUDs.
I believe that
the adoption of
RSPO principles
and criteria will
increase our
productivity
and income.
