Dream - Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil in the world. Various products ranging from food and beverages to skincare products use palm oil as a raw material. The Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP KS) revealed the benefits of palm oil that have been less known to the public in the talk show 'Million Benefits of Goodness of Palm Oil' held on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at Azana Suite Hotel Antasari.

To support the national foreign exchange, Intan said that Indonesia has been exporting crude palm oil, processed palm oil, finished products based on palm oil such as cooking oil, biodiesel, and oleochemicals. The abundance of these derivative products also encourages business actors to innovate in utilizing palm oil as biodiesel.

Intan also stated that the palm oil industry has greatly helped the community, especially in efforts to alleviate poverty in rural areas. "The impact of the palm oil industry can be one of the sources of income for workers. Poverty alleviation in rural areas is due to the fact that most of its operational areas are located in remote areas," said Intan. Referring to data from the Ministry of Coordinating Economic Affairs, the palm oil industry has provided employment opportunities for 16 million workers in 2021, both directly and indirectly.

Other interesting findings, according to Intan, are that the total area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia is only 8 percent of the total area of the country. However, with such a large scale, the Indonesian palm oil industry has become the number one foreign exchange contributor in the non-oil and gas sector. Some examples of areas in Indonesia that manage oil palm plantations include Aceh, Jambi, Riau, Kalimantan, Pekanbaru, and the majority of them are located in Sumatra.

Introduction to the palm oil industry is also targeted by Gapki to school children as a positive campaign in the field of education, especially for schools located near palm oil plantations. "We have a special program in the positive campaign section, so we are currently moving towards launching a special compartment in the field of education in 2023," said Intan. This campaign is carried out so that children can get to know the palm oil industry which has a million benefits. "So that children know, they grow up seeing palm oil, and their parents are palm oil farmers," said Intan.