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PT. Bumitama Gunajaya Agro's Roadshow at the Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University: Exploring Research Collaboration to Improve Palm Oil Content
Denpasar, February 18, 2025 – PT. Bumitama Gunajaya Agro (BGA) held a roadshow at the Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University, to explore opportunities for research collaboration aimed at improving palm oil content. The event, which took place at the Senate Meeting Room, Agrokompleks Building, Sudirman Campus in Denpasar, was attended by academics and students from various study programs involved in agroecotechnology, biotechnology, and agricultural sciences.
During the event, Dr. Azis Natawijaya, S.P., M.Si., the main speaker, outlined the challenges and opportunities faced by the palm oil industry. He emphasized that the palm oil sector in Indonesia holds great potential to become a backbone of the national economy, despite challenges such as climate change, pest attacks, and declining productivity.
"Since 2010, palm oil productivity has stagnated and even declined. Therefore, innovations in increasing yields and oil content are crucial to sustain the industry," he stated.
PT. BGA, which manages 200,000 hectares of palm oil plantations, has implemented a circular economy concept and continues to innovate in land management and fertilization to boost productivity. BGA is also opening up research opportunities for lecturers and students across Indonesia to collaborate in developing solutions to various issues faced by the palm oil industry.
Some of the research topics offered include increasing the number of female and male flowers, artificial pollination techniques, oil content detection, and the use of microbes to improve soil quality. PT. BGA is providing research funding of up to 300 million rupiahs for approved proposals, with funding disbursement carried out in phases to support long-term projects.
In addition, the discussion session that followed the presentation raised several questions from participants about oil extraction technology, the use of microbes, and innovations in fertilization and pollinator management. Some participants also proposed ideas on improving pollinator performance and technology for detecting fertilizer efficiency directly.
The event concluded with hopes that the collaboration between PT. BGA and the Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University, would open up opportunities for research development that would not only benefit the palm oil industry but also contribute to the advancement of science and technology in Indonesia. BGA representatives also stated that they would continue this collaboration under a collaborative research scheme throughout the year.
As a closing, it was hoped that further visits would strengthen the research collaboration, leading to innovations that can be applied in the field.
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UDAYANA UNIVERSITY