01 December 2022
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Palm oil is an important commodity in the world. In 2021/2022, its total use reached 73 million metric tons, involving 68 consumer countries (https://www.statista.com/statistics/273565/share-of-the-major-consuming-countries-in-global-oil-consumption; https://nationmaster.com). This has driven the rapid development of palm oil plantations to reach 21.35 million hectares by 2071 (Center for Agricultural Data and Information Systems, 2019). Palm oil is the largest vegetable oil traded globally (https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/palm-oil). The main reason for this is that it is relatively cheap and of equivalent quality compared to other vegetable oils, and even has ingredients that other vegetable oils do not have and are needed by downstream industries in various consumer countries. Palm oil provides significant benefits to both consuming and producing countries.
However, despite its benefits, the palm oil industry is also associated with negative issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and child labor (https://www.solopos.com/indonesia-jadi-produsen-kelapa-sawit-terbesar-di-dunia-isu-negatif-terus-menghantui-1089099). Many of these issues are not based on solid facts. In an effort to provide proportional information directly from experts and practitioners, the Summer Course “Inclusive and Sustainable Palm Oil Industry” was organized. This activity is a continuation of a similar workshop that was conducted online and in a shorter time.
This Summer Course was held offline at the Academic Senate Room, Rector's Bureau, Universitas Sumatera Utara on November 15-16, 2022. Followed by field trip activities to PT Socfin Indonesia Kebun Bangun Bandar on November 17, 2022, to Bukit Lawang on November 17-18, 2022, and to Tangkahan on November 19, 2022 (rundown attached). A total of 80 participants (attendance list attached) participated in this activity.
This Summer Course invited 6 resource persons namely Doris Monica Sari Turnip, STP., M.Si (Directorate General of Plantations); Dr. Tatang Hernas Soerawidjaja (ITB Lecturer Head of the Indonesian Bioenergy Expert Association); Gotz Martin (PT. SMART); Jean Marc Roda (CIRAD) and Claude Gracia (CIRAD) who are directly involved in the implementation of palm oil sustainability. This activity was attended by 42 students from undergraduate and postgraduate programs from Indonesia, Thailand, Austria, and Australia.
It is expected that the participants will get information directly from experts and from facts in the field regarding sustainable palm oil management. After getting all the information, the participants will make a video that aims to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable palm oil management. This activity is a joint program of CSSPO USU, USU Master's Program in Agribusiness, USU Undergraduate Program in Agribusiness, and CIRAD.
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