Indonesian President Launches Oil Palm Replanting Program in Riau

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) launched an oil palm replanting program in Rokan Hilir district, Riau, marking the start of the program in the Sumatran province, covering 25,423 hectares for this year, reported the Antara News on May 09. 

His arrival at the village of Kepenghuluan Pelita, Bakan Sinembah, marked the start of the replanting program in eight districts in the province. The same program was earlier launched in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra, on October 13, 2017 and Serdang Bedagai in North Sumatra on November 27, 2017 and so Riau becomes the third province undergoing the program. The president said the program was urgent as most oil palm plantations out of a total of 1.58 million hectares in the province are very old. He said the government is conducting the program so that the people‘s plantations would be more productive and increase harvest to double or three times per hectare.