The Director General of Agro Industry at the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin), Putu Juli Ardika, stated in the kick-off meeting of a collaborative research cooperation between the Indonesian Palm Oil Society (MAKSI) and PT Kimia Farma Tbk (KAEF) that Kemenperin is committed to the development of the downstream sector of the national palm oil industry. One of the company's key areas of focus is the development of health products such as beta-carotene (provitamin A) and tocopherol (vitamin E). These products have been designed to increase the added value of palm oil while supporting the adequacy of public nutrition, especially in the context of the free nutritious meal programme (MBG). Furthermore, these products are important in efforts to tackle stunting and wasting. According to Putu, this partnership aligns with President Prabowo's directive to maximise the potential of palm oil in ensuring national nutritional security. Vitamin supplementation from vegetable sources, including naturally processed palm oil, is a smart choice for maintaining sufficient nutrition, particularly for school children, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers.
The Ministry of Industry is also drafting an Indonesian National Standard (RSNI) for palm oil-based health supplements. This is part of the ministry's support for the MBG programme. These measures will facilitate increased contributions to the community nutrition programme from state-owned enterprises, private sector entities, and other stakeholders. These efforts are complemented by the Ministry of Industry's commitment to facilitating scientific and technical meetings with nutritionists, fostering collaboration and expertise to advance the development of these supplement products. It will also address legal aspects, including intellectual property management, thus ensuring the wide national application of research results. MAKSI and Kimia Farma's collaboration is set to be a significant milestone in the development of the agro industry, from research to commercial industrial scale.
