Indonesia Seeks to Intercrop Rice on Oil Palm Plantations

The agriculture ministry has asked the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) to help the government in realizing food resilience by planting rice with intercropping system in smallholders’ oil palm plantation areas subject to replanting program, said GAPKI Chairman Eddy Martono during a celebration ceremony of the 43rd anniversary of GAPKI at Ayana Midplaza Hotel, Central Jakarta on February 27.

The kind of rice to be planted under the program is locally known as “Gogo”, a superior variety of rice (Oryza Sativa L) which can be planted on dry fields, instead of irrigated rice fields.  Eddy said initially the scheme will be implemented by GAPKI in South Kalimantan and later to be expanded to other provinces.  Currently, GAPKI groups 739 oil palm plantation companies with total area of 3.7 million hectares in 15 provincial branches