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West Sulawesi Governor Suhardi Duka conveyed his support for the downstreaming of industries in the agriculture and forestry sector during his visit to PT Kencana Hijau Bina Lestari's pine resin and coconut factories in Binuang District, Polewali Mandar Regency, West Sulawesi Province on Mar. 18, 2025.
During the visit, Suhardi was accompanied by Polewali Mandar Regent Samsul Mahmud and Deputy Regent Andi Nursami, West Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Deputy Speaker Suraidah Suhardi, and several West Sulawesi Provincial Government officials.
Suhardi emphasized the importance of government support for the sustainability of the pine resin and coconut processing industry in the Binuang District. He also emphasized the importance of ensuring that pine resin products could be processed into an end-product in Sulawesi as there are only two factories with similar operations in the region, namely in Polewali Mandar and Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi Province.
"This will be a topic of discussion with the South Sulawesi Governor so that pine resin production can be maximized in Sulawesi," he added.
The West Sulawesi Provincial Government continues to encourage the downstreaming of agricultural products, including pine resin, rice, and palm oil. If there are obstacles in factory operations, the company could report and coordinate with the related regent to resolve the issues before going to the provincial government.
"If it is still difficult to resolve, we will help so that the downstreaming can run according to the central government's program," he said.
PT Kencana Hijau Bina Lestari Site Manager I Putu Gede appreciated the West Sulawesi Government's support in developing the pine resin and coconut processing industry. However, he said that the supply of raw materials is still a major challenge.
"We can only meet 15 percent of the factory's production capacity. Currently, pine resin production can only run one week in a month," he said.
To overcome operational limitations, the company is developing the coconut processing industry to sustain job creation in said industry.
"We are switching to coconut processing so that there are no layoffs. Currently, there are 118 active employees, and for the we will need around 200 workers coconut factory," he added.
I Putu Gede hopes that the government could provide support in terms of regulation, procurement of raw materials, and partnerships with farmers so that the industry could improve its development.
"If there is support from regional officials, it will certainly be easier for us to run production," he concluded.
This visit is in line with the national policy to increase the added value of local products and create jobs for the local community.
