Coconut Plantation, Palm Oil and Energy Plantation

Although the plantations are artificial and economically oriented, basically every plantation has its own characteristics. Natural conditions, rainfall, soil fertility, infrastructure, market needs, and topography are a number of considerations for the creation of these types of plantations. Coconut trees and energy trees need easier maintenance than palm oil plantations. Trees and coconut plantations are also very familiar and popular among the people of Indonesia. Even in the last century coconut experienced its golden era. Copra and coconut oil at that time became the mainstay commodity from coconut with enormous economic value. The destruction of the copra and coconut oil industry at that time was due to the negative campaign of the ASA (American Soybean Association), so that the image of coconut oil was destroyed and replaced by soybean oil. But there is a bright spot and a number of indications that the coconut industry will start to rise, for more details read a series of articles on reviving the integrated coconut industry that starts from here.

Coconut plantation in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta

Passing palm oil plantation in the border of South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan

Gliricidae energy plantation in Central Java

While the energy plantation may be for some Indonesians something new, although the plants used for energy plantations are generally well known, namely calliandra and gliricidae. Energy plantations are created primarily to respond to renewable energy needs from biomass, especially wood pellets. Coal power plant is mainly as a producer of greenhouse gases namely CO2 (carbon dioxide) in mass volumes, so that it must be gradually reduced, one of them by fuel from biomass or wood pellets which is carbon neutral fuel. The potential of developing energy plantations is very large because of the enormous need for biomass or wood pellets (read Japan with FIT (feed in tarrif), Korea with RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) and the European Union with RED (Renewable Energy Directive) II), wide millions of hectares of available land and tropical climatic conditions as an ideal area to produce energy from biomass. Indonesia should be able to become the biomass country.

For palm oil plantations, Indonesia is also very well known, this is because Indonesia is the owner of the largest oil palm plantations in the world, with an estimated current area of more than 13 million hectares or about 4 times the area of coconut plantations. There are also many palm oil mills and there are estimated to be around 1,000 palm oil mills. This palm oil tree originated from West Africa which was originally brought by the Dutch colonialist and planted in the Bogor botanical garden, then propagated and developed to date. Indonesia's CPO production in 2017 is estimated to reach 38.17 million tons, PKO 3.81 million tons or a total reached 41.98 million tons. Lately, palm oil has also received various campaigns from the European Union regarding environmental issues. If this is allowed to continue and prolonged, then it is possible that his fate will be the same as coconut oil.

Palm oil trees need more care than coconuts and energy plantation plants. Water and fertilizer needs are also large and vital for palm oil trees. This factor needs to be considered especially those who want to develop palm oil plantations. Coconut trees do not need a lot of water and fertilizer, so it is possible to be planted by intercropping. For example in Sri Lanka, gliricidae as a crop between coconut groves. Even cattle grazing such as sheep, goats and cows is possible between the coconut trees. While the energy plantation, the trunk will be used as raw material for wood pellet production, the leaves are for animal feed such as sheep, goats and cows and the flowers are for honey bee farming.

"There shall not be the doomsday, until the treasures have been piled up and overflowing, until a man goes everywhere carrying his treasures of zakat, but he has not found one who is willing to receive his zakat, and that the land of Arabs is prosperous again with grasslands and rivers ".(HR.Muslim).

The earth will once again prosper before the doomsday. In general such plantations and forests are also the cause of springs (QS 36: 34) which in time will flow into the rivers (QS 19: 24-25) and also be your pleasure and your cattle ( QS 79: 31). Energy plantation and sheep / goat grazing solutions are also like oars, 2-3 islands exceeded, namely energy and food. Indonesia currently only boost one of the elements of food, namely carbohydrates, especially rice because it is also a staple food and the sector is currently not self-sufficient with rice imports reach millions of tons. Whereas in addition to carbohydrates our food composition includes protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. The logic when in the main sector is still not good, then for the other supporting elements will be worse. Sheep / goat farming as a provider of supporting element but very important role of protein.