Six Ministers To Attend Oil Palm Clustrer Establishment

Pekanbaru,Jan 20 (ANTARA) - At least six cabinet ministers are scheduled to attend the establishment of a downstream oil palm industrial cluster in Riau following the issuance of a Presidential Decree on the development of the downstream agricultural industry. "Six ministers will be attending the establishment of the oil palm cluster in Dumai on Saturday, January 23, 2010," spokesman for the Riau Provincial Administration Zulkarnain Kadir said here Wednesday. The six ministers are Minister Coordinating the Economy Hatta Rajasa, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Industry Minister MS Hidayat, Agriculture Minister Suswono, and a high-ranking government official of ministerial level Head of the Capital Investment Coordination Agency Gita Wirjawan. Later the six high officials along with Riau Governor Rusli Zainal are also scheduled to visit another downstream oil palm industrial cluster in Kuala Enok, Indragiri Hilir regency where they will be briefed by Indragiri Hilir Regent Indra Mukhlis Adnan on the potentials of the area in the development of agricultural- and oleochemical-based industrial clusters. "Before returning to Jakarta following the one-day visit, the ministers are also slated to visit Kuala Enok, which had also been declared the location of a downstream oil palm industry in Riau," he said. Under the Presidential Decree, the central government has approved two locations proposed by the Riau administration, namely Kuala Enok and Dumai as basis for the development of downstream oil palm industries. Indragiri Hilir regency is known as a palm oil production center in Riau, while Dumai is a port city which is now also functioning as a place for the shipment of CPO and some other commodities for export to 86 destinations. According to data of the Riau plantation agency, in 2008 the total area of the plantations in the province reached 2,832,199 hectares, including 1,673,551 hectares oil palm estates. The rest consisted of coconut plantations 553,657 ha, rubber estates 528,655 ha, sago plantations 69,917 ha, and cacao plantations 6,420 hectares.