Bappenas, EU researchers study Indonesia's rubber value chain

Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA) - Indonesia's National Development Planning (Bappenas) Ministry and European researchers are examining ways to strengthen the country's rubber value chain, from smallholder production to processing and market access.

Haekal Heriyanto, a representative of Bappenas' Food and Agriculture Directorate, said the effort was part of Value Chain Analysis for Development (VCA4D), a study covering rubber and coconut.

“European and Indonesian researchers, together with Bappenas representatives, visited the Sungei Putih Research Unit of PT Riset Perkebunan Nusantara's Rubber Research Center,” Haekal said in a statement received in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra Province, on Sunday.

He said the study aligns with National Priority 5 of the 2025-2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan, which calls for expanding downstream processing and resource-based industries to boost domestic value added.

For rubber, the effort aims to raise output, improve raw-rubber quality, strengthen farmer organizations and raw-rubber processing and marketing units (UPPBs), develop downstream industries and expand market access.

Sustainability is also a priority as international markets increasingly demand products that meet environmental and social standards, including traceability and deforestation-free requirements, he said.

“The visit is part of fieldwork to build a fuller picture of the conditions, developments, challenges and potential of Indonesia's rubber value chain, particularly in North Sumatra,” Haekal said.

Input from stakeholders and research institutions is essential to deepen the analysis and produce policy recommendations suited to conditions on the ground, he said.

The team includes Eric Penot (CIRAD, France), Ravinder Kumar (University of Greenwich, UK), Ieben Broeckhoven (Belgium), Heval Yildirim (Agrinatura), and Indonesian researchers Prof. Sahara and Augusta Ivanovich (IPB), and Agus Setyarso (INSTIPER Yogyakarta).

Rubber Research Center Head Suroso welcomed the visit, saying it provided an opportunity for discussion and collaboration.

He said the visit would help identify ways to add value in North Sumatra's smallholder rubber sector, which has distinct dynamics and challenges.

“Smallholder rubber farming in North Sumatra differs from that in South Sumatra in farmer profiles, plantation management, marketing institutions and communities' socioeconomic conditions,” Suroso said.

Understanding these regional differences is essential to ensure recommendations address the specific needs of farmers and rubber businesses rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, he said.

Despite challenges in the plantation sector, the Sungei Putih Research Unit continues research and technical services to boost productivity, including trials of high-yielding, disease-resistant rubber clones, Suroso said.

The unit also conducts studies and provides technical assistance to help increase rubber production at several PTPN plantations in North Sumatra.

The work involves researchers from the Rubber Research Center's Sembawa office, whose varied expertise helps tailor recommendations to crop conditions, the environment and operational needs.

Discussions covered the entire rubber value chain, from smallholder cultivation and rubber processing to marketing institutions and links among farmers, traders, UPPBs and processors.

Community empowerment and the role of different stakeholders in strengthening farmer organizations were also identified as important to the sustainability of the rubber value chain.

IPB professor Sahara said the team planned further visits to major rubber-producing areas in South Sumatra, including the Rubber Research Center's headquarters.

She also expressed hope that the team could directly observe rubber farmers and processing and marketing units in the region.

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Translator: Anggi LP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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