THE competitiveness of Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO) in the global market is considered competitive. Therefore, the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) hopes that the implementation of zero over dimension overload (ODOL) will not reduce Indonesia’s competitiveness in the international arena.
GAPKI Executive Director, Mukti Sarjono, said that intensive discussions are needed with the Ministry of Transportation to jointly discuss various problems that palm oil entrepreneurs in Indonesia will face if zero ODOL is suddenly implemented.
He explained that for one hectare of land alone, it can produce around 25 to 30 tons of fresh fruit bunches/TDS every year. So, if the land reaches 1,000 hectares, he continued, it means that in a year it will produce at least 25-30 thousand tons of palm oil.
“To transport that much palm oil, we usually use large trucks,” he said.
He said that for those whose plantations are already integrated with their factories, the use of these large trucks is not a problem because they only go around the plantations. But, he said, the problem is the production from people’s plantations.
“These people’s plantations are also quite extensive and are everywhere, such as in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Well, these plantations do not have integrated factories. So, if you want to go to the factory, you have to go through district and provincial roads, and vice versa,” he said.
Also read: March 2024 Trade Balance Surplus Predicted to be Higher
Moreover, according to him, the road classes that will be used by large palm oil trucks do not have class 1 capacity. “So our proposal is still the same from the past until now, namely the government must make improvements to strengthen the roads and increase the class of the roads so that they can be passed by large trucks,” he said.
He gave an example like in Malaysia where the roads in their palm oil plantations are good and the quality is also intensive. “We hope it can be like that here,” he said.
Therefore, said Mukti, GAPKI proposed that the determination of zero ODOL should not be implemented instantly, but there are stages by making adjustments. And according to him, the adjustments are not only made in companies, but also for palm oil plantation centers, the roads can also be improved. “Both the class of the road, its quality, its bridges and so on, so that it can accommodate palm oil production traffic,” he said.
Read also: Biomicrogels Group Introduces Two Revolutionary Products for Palm Oil Production
Because, according to him, the government must also see that if the large trucks transporting palm oil are replaced with smaller trucks, it will automatically increase the fleet. “The number will increase. Because, for example, one truck could initially carry 20 tons, if it is then limited to only 10 tons, it means we have to double the transportation. Well, if we add transportation, it means we have to increase the cost of buying a car or renovating the truck, then the driver’s cost will also increase,” he said.
This means, he continued, there are additional production costs for the company. So, GAPKI’s proposal is how zero ODOL can be done gradually.
“Therefore, we need to sit together with the government to discuss, create a kind of adjustment roadmap to get there. Don’t let the palm oil industry, which is now the largest source of foreign exchange income, then its competitiveness decreases because of, for example, zero ODOL. That’s what we want,” he said. (M-4)
#GAPKI #Hopes #Government #Improve #Road #Class
