Oil Palm plantation

The Government of Indonesia has set a replanting plan for 4.7 million hectares of palm oil plantation in the country to boost productivity, an Agriculture Ministry Official said on Tuesday.

Director-General for Plantation of Indonesian Agriculture Ministry, Bambang M.M. , disclosed that the decision was made due to aging of the plants and low quality of seeds.

Productivity of the plantations is only 2 to 3 tons per hectare, lower than that of 12 tons per hectare in Malaysia, said Bambang.

“We can raise the productivity to 8 tons per hectare,’’ he added.

According to the Indonesian Palm Oil Association, the country’s palm oil output declined to 34.5 million tons in 2016 from 35.5 million tons in 2015.

Indonesia is a major producer and exporter of palm oil. (Xinhua/NAN)