Bogor, October 18, 2023 – Red oil development is now one of the focuses of PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero). One of the efforts made by the government is to build a mini Palm Oil Mill (PKS) at the location of oil palm plantations. The construction of the mini palm oil mill is planned to be carried out on an area of one thousand hectares. President Director of PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero), Mohammad Abdul Ghani, said this when receiving an award and appreciation from the Faculty of Agriculture of IPB, at the IPB campus, Dramaga, Bogor, West Java, Thursday (18/10/23).
The award was given because Abdul Ghani and PTPN Holding had provided a grant in the form of the construction of a Mini Palm Oil Processing Research Laboratory at the Bogor Agricultural University’s Oil Palm Education and Research Farm (KPPS), in Jonggol, West Java.
“This mini palm oil mill is intended for processing red cooking oil which contains high beta-carotene elements. This is needed in order to prevent stunting in children,” Abdul Ghani said. As an alumnus of IPB’s Faculty of Agriculture, Abdul Ghani hopes that the laboratory will be able to improve the skills of IPB graduates. “Later, IPB graduates will be ready to work in the palm oil industry, including within PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero),” Abdul Ghani said.
Abdul Ghani also recounted the achievements he made with the ranks at PT Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero), since he was first appointed as President Director of PTPN Holding. From the end of 2019 until now, Abdul Ghani said, PTPN Holding was able to turn things around from previously losing money, to a state-owned company that made a profit. Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of IPB Suryo Wiyono gave appreciation to Abdul Ghani and PTPN Holding. According to Suryo, Abdul Ghani is very concerned about the world of education, especially the Faculty of Agriculture of IPB.
One form of concern is the grant for the construction of a research laboratory for palm oil processing. Suryo said, every year KPPS Jonggol serves more than 200 students who conduct research, both for S1, S2, and S3 levels.
“KPPS Jonggol is also the object of research visits from various countries, such as Mexico, Belgium, and Japan. Currently, we are exploring joint research with researchers from Wageningen University & Research Netherlands, on the utilization of waste for biogas,” said Suryo.