Pekanbaru, Riau, Sept 16 (antarariau.com) - Agriculture Minister Suswono warned against conversion of rice fields into other plantations.
"The fact is oil palm plantations are already far wider than rice fields in Indonesia," Suswono said.
He said the country's oil palm plantations total 9 million hectares as against rice fields that total only 7.9 million hectares.
"I hope there is diversification in financing for food crop cultivation," he told a national working meeting of the Indonesian chamber of commerce and industry (Kadin) here on Monday.
He said the potential lands for oil palm plantations reach 18 million hectares , but the ministry is focusing on improvement in productivity .
He said licenses have been issued for 9.8 million hectares of oil palm plantations and 9.2 million hectares of which have been cultivated.
"Currently we attach greater importance on improvement of productivity not expansion of areas," he said, adding , "it does not mean ruling out expansion of plantations."
Improvement of productivity is especially necessary for smallholders' plantations not in partnership with plantation companies, he said.
Plantations of self supporting farmers not including plasma plantations make up 40% of the total oil palm plantations in the country.
Expansion of oil palm plantations by big companies is also open in land not suitable for the staple food crop, Suyono said.
He said he agrees with the program to innovate financing for one million self supporting oil palm farmers to improve their productivity to increase their production without having expanding plantations.
Minister Warns Against Conversion of Rice Field Into Plantations
