News
SawitPRO Lifts Smallholder Productivity Through Dokter Sawit
Front Row (The Jakarta Post) September 17, 2024
(SawitPRO)
Indonesia is the largest palm oil-producing country in the world, and local farmers control as much as 42 percent of oil palm plantation areas. However, an alarming productivity gap of 60 percent exists among local producers, especially between smallholders and companies.
In other words, improvement is still needed in the productivity of smallholder farmers, defined as farmers with less than 25 hectares of land.
"Low productivity among oil palm smallholders is a critical issue that requires our immediate attention," said Abhishek Singh, CEO of SawitPRO.
To address this issue, SawitPRO has taken the initiative to build Dokter Sawit, an online education and training platform for oil palm smallholders.
"To help smallholders get adequate and timely palm oil education, we present Dokter Sawit twice a month," said Singh.
The primary focus of Dokter Sawit is to enhance good agricultural practice (GAP), which serves as a guide for smallholders in cultivating their crops properly and correctly toward increased crop yield and ultimately, prosperity.
As Singh put it: “The harvest is the final result of cultivation. We aim for a better harvest through good cultivation.”
Dokter Sawit presents comprehensive materials covering all aspects of cultivation. From fertilizing, spraying and harvesting to soil, seeds and pest control, the platform provides a complete guide to the successful cultivation of oil palm.
"Agronomists' expertise is crucial in addressing smallholders' challenges,” noted Singh.
“SawitPRO's agronomist experts who support the Dokter Sawit program, ranging in experience from 10 years to over 30 years, have a deep understanding of field conditions to ensure that the recommendations provided are practical and effectively implemented," he continued.
“Expertise can provide the proper recommendations in the field. For example, through Dokter Sawit, our agronomists offer detailed guidance on the use of compound and single fertilizers, explaining their impact on production, operations and finances.”
SawitPRO is aware of the various obstacles and limitations in the field that reduce smallholders’ productivity relative to plantation companies.
"One of the limitations smallholders have is access to quality information and training," Singh pointed out.
Meanwhile, the internet has greatly simplified access to information and 4G mobile networks are now available in oil palm-growing regions. The adoption of technology in agriculture has led to remarkable growth, with nearly full smartphone penetration in both urban and rural areas.
Smartphones are a crucial tool to support the enhancement of smallholders' cultivation skills and knowledge, while Dokter Sawit is available online, helping smallholders access scientific information wherever they are.
The Petani SawitPRO app serves as the digital gateway to Dokter Sawit and its educational features, and is available for downloading from Google Play Store for Android phones. It provides access to ongoing, upcoming as well as past sessions of Dokter Sawit.
As of July 29, Dokter Sawit has conducted nine sessions for a total of 1,800 smallholder participants.
Aside from providing access to Dokter Sawit, the Petani SawitPRO app aims to boost smallholders' productivity and profitability with added features like the Dokter Sawitina chatbot, Fertilizer Calculator, Agronomist Services and the interactive Kuis Sawit (oil palm quiz) to offer industry insights. The app also provides plantation management tools for tracking results and activities.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com
