The Role of Biochar in Increasing Palm Oil Productivity, Among the Use of Superior Seeds and Replanting

Palm oil productivity continues to be pushed to its most optimal point. This is because it is to meet the increasing needs, especially the mandatory B-50 biodiesel program. Of course, efforts to optimize productivity are not easy and instant. Although the key points for its realization have also been mapped, namely by replanting old palm oils, using superior seeds and intensification, the practice also requires the right method or approach and takes time. Replanting old palm oils is still very slow and has many obstacles, while the use of superior seeds has received more attention and continues to be encouraged. The analogy of using superior seeds is like comparing local cattle and superior breeds. So no matter how well the Javanese cow is cared for, its weight will not match that of the Limousin cow. Likewise with palm oil seeds.

Land intensification efforts through optimizing inputs, technology and modern cultivation methods also still need to be developed. Meanwhile, extensification or land expansion should be avoided or slowed down as much as possible, for more details, read here. Biochar can have an important role in this area of ​​intensification. Apart from the application of biochar it will improve soil health, which is an important prerequisite for plants to be able to produce optimally, it is also very environmentally friendly because the raw material for biochar is from renewable sources, namely biomass and increases fertilization efficiency (NUE = Nutrient Use Efficiency). And even the application of biochar is also a climate solution, namely as carbon sequestration. Optimizing productivity can be done by applying biochar plus using superior seeds using modern and environmentally friendly agricultural methods. So basically optimization is a comprehensive and measurable effort.

Indonesia contributes 25% to the world's vegetable oil supply, making it a key actor in the stability of the world's vegetable oil supply. With this position, any changes in production, export policies and Indonesia's domestic dynamics will directly impact prices and international market balance. Indonesia is currently the largest or number one producer of palm oil in the world, but it is not the best or most productive because its productivity is not yet optimal. Compared to neighboring countries, namely Malaysia, it is still inferior and slightly superior to Thailand, even though geographical factors, namely the climate in Indonesia, are much more supportive. Currently, Indonesia's CPO productivity is around 3.3 tons/hectare, while Malaysia's is around 3.8 tons/hectare, while Thailand's is around 3 tons/hectare.

Yield gap, namely the difference or gap between actual production and maximum production potential, is sometimes quite large. Several main factors that trigger yield gaps include non-optimal environmental factors such as drought conditions, to errors in cultivation practices such as errors in land clearing and planting, as well as inaccuracies in diagnosis and fertilizer recommendations. This yield gap must be minimized so that palm oil productivity can be maximized.

Sometimes the role of biochar cannot be found or seen directly in various efforts to increase palm oil productivity, but the application of biochar is very much in line with this goal. For example, the success of an palm oil replanting program depends, among other things, on the quality of seeds, fertilization, plant population and soil health. Soil health and fertilization factors can be closely related to biochar. And related to biofungicides to treat ganoderma fungus disorders, biochar can be used as a carrier formulated with other elements such as humus, amino acids, humates, hormones and so on. And because the only effective way to control the ganoderma fungus is to introduce its natural enemies in the form of biofungicides based on Trichoderma spp and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi into the soil. However, there are still many parties who do not have adequate knowledge regarding the application of biochar.

Apart from boosting production, implementing best management practices is also important to meet sustainability standards amidst increasing pressure from environmental issues. And the application of biochar is very much in line with that point. In fact, regarding low carbon palm oil technology in the application of biochar, it is very relevant to the CECC (Controlled Emission Composting Chamber) and for more details on the application of biochar for composting, read here. Meanwhile, the trend of fertilization in palm oil plantations with the application of slow release fertilizer is also very relevant to biochar, for more details, read here. 

Slowing Palm Oil Land Expansion: Replanting or Biochar ?

The reckless expansion of palm oi plantations is definitely offside sustainability. Instead of palm oil being a blessing due to their highest productivity among other vegetable oil sources (soybeans, sunflowers, rapeseed, coconuts, etc.), growing only in tropical regions and contributing 40% of the global vegetable oil supply, they have instead become a natural disaster. The cost of this disaster is no small matter, costing thousands of lives, in addition to other material losses. This issue was particularly highlighted during the recent floods in Sumatra. Are the profits from palm oil worth the loss of life?

Clearing tens or even hundreds of thousands of hectares of oil palm plantations produces valuable timber. It's even possible to generate substantial profits from land clearing alone, even though palm oil plantations and production haven't even begun. This is what drives entrepreneurs to flock to this plantation sector, driven by the sole goal of maximizing profits without considering their own needs, resulting in widespread disasters. Furthermore, the implementation of mandatory B-40 or even B-50 biodiesel, currently being discussed, will undoubtedly create a new market for palm oil/CPO, much easier and more flexible than exporting to Europe, which is subject to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), or to the US, which faces high tariffs.

Moreover, it has already been established that palm oil/CPO consumption for biodiesel has exceeded food demand. The mandatory implementation of the B-50 program also requires a 20% increase in CPO production capacity, or 60 million tons per year. The most profitable and fastest way to do this is through extensive deforestation, as the timber from cleared forests can be sold directly.

When the goal is to increase palm oil production gradually, safely, in a planned, and sustainable manner, adequate consideration is required, not blindly and recklessly clearing forest areas (deforestation) under the guise of land conversion. Besides the use of superior seeds, there are at least two ways to increase palm oil productivity: replanting and biochar application (part of land intensification).

According to Joko Supriyono, former chairman of GAPKI (Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association) for the 2015-2018 and 2018-2023 periods, in his book "Is Indonesian Palm Oil Still Successful?", it is stated that if replanting of palm oil in Indonesia successfully reaches 300 thousand hectares per year, it is estimated that CPO and CPKO production in 2045 will reach 80 million tons. While currently CPO and CPKO production is around 55 million tons. And with the use of biochar, palm oil productivity will increase by an average of 30% in 5-10 years, meaning that by 2035 CPO and CPKO production will reach 71.5 million tons. Moreover, if the two methods are combined, the results should be even better.

Indonesia's current CPO production reaches approximately 50 million tons/year, covering a land area of ​​16.8 million hectares with an average CPO production of 3.55 tons/ha per hectare, or 3.55 million tons per million hectares. If biochar is used and productivity increases by 30%, this means an increase of 15 million tons of CPO (a total of 65 million tons of CPO/year) and this saves approximately 4.2 million hectares of land, or the use of biochar will slow down forest clearing for palm oil plantations. The application of biochar with compost will improve the quality of the compost to become premium compost. For more details, read here. This allows the palm oil industry to operate by utilizing all its biomass waste.

The replanting movement of palm oil plantations must be encouraged to continuously increase palm oil production. The problem of biomass waste from palm oil trees, which cover thousands of hectares, also poses a challenge. With such a large volume of old palm oil trees, utilizing them for value-added products is crucial. With an average hectare of palm oil plantations consisting of 125 trees, each tree having an average dry weight of 0.4 tons, this yields 50 tons of dry weight of biomass per hectare. For an area of ​​10,000 hectares, this yields 0.5 million tons of dry weight, and for an area of ​​100,000 hectares, this translates to 5 million tons of dry weight. An optimistic estimate suggests that Indonesia could achieve 5% replanting (very optimistic) or 820,000 hectares, which would yield 41 million tons of dry weight of biomass per year. Similarly, Malaysia, with 5% replanting or 285,000 hectares, would produce 14.25 million tons of dry weight per year.

Business readiness factors, both technologically and in terms of the market or user base, need to be carefully assessed. With such a large volume, biomass processing plants or industries can be established and operate optimally without worrying about raw material shortages. Products such as pellets, briquettes, biochar, and other bioproducts, such as other biocarbons, biomaterials, biofuels, and biochemicals, are also possible from this old palm oil trunk biomass waste. Old, dead oil palm trunks, often left unattended on land, should be utilized to produce these useful, value-added products. For more details on utilizing trunk waste for fuel pellet production (OPT Pellets), please read here.