ULM and BPDPKS National Seminar: South Kalimantan Towards Energy Self-Sufficiency in Palm Oil

BANJARMASIN – Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM) in collaboration with the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) held a national seminar and exhibition entitled “Harmony with Community: South Kalimantan Towards Palm Oil Self-Sufficiency in National Energy”, Friday (20/9). This event is part of the celebration of ULM’s 66th Dies Natalis and focuses on the role of palm oil in national economic and energy development.

ULM Rector, Prof. Dr. H. Ahmad Alim Bachri, S.E., M.Sc., conveyed the importance of the palm oil industry for Indonesia’s future. He said that palm oil not only plays a role in absorbing labor and exports, but also has an extraordinary value chain.

“We hope this seminar can motivate students to get involved in the development of palm oil-based Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),” he explained.

Prof. Ahmad also highlighted the importance of strategic collaboration between ULM and BPDPKS in supporting the university’s vision as a center for entrepreneurship development.

“BPDPKS’s offer for ULM to become a strategic partner is very appropriate, in line with the university’s vision in developing entrepreneurship among students,” he added.

Meanwhile, Head of the BPDPKS UMKM Division, Helmi Muhansyah, highlighted the need for a positive campaign related to palm oil. According to him, although palm oil often gets negative attention, this commodity provides a significant foreign exchange contribution to Indonesia.

“We came to South Kalimantan to collaborate with ULM, especially in promoting the goodness of palm oil. Many people only know palm oil as a cooking oil ingredient, even though 70-80% of products in supermarkets contain palm oil,” said Helmi.

Helmi also emphasized the importance of the role of students in developing an entrepreneurial spirit, especially in utilizing palm oil derivative products.

“Palm oil can not only be processed into cooking oil, but also various other products, such as batik, helmets, and energy. Even palm oil waste can be used as a road strengthening material,” he said.

Helmi hopes that this event can be the starting point for further collaboration between ULM and BPDPKS, especially in developing startups based on palm oil products and their derivatives in South Kalimantan.