PALMOILMAGAZINE, ACEH UTARA — A number of palm oil smallholders in North Aceh Regency have voiced frustration over the slow verification process for proposals related to the construction of farm roads funded by the agricultural facilities and infrastructure (sarpras) program. Abubakar AR, Chairman of the Berkat Bunga Damai Cooperative (KBBD) in Cot Girek, accused the Aceh Provincial Agriculture and Plantation Agency (Distanbun) of deliberately slowing down the process and called on the Governor of Aceh to dismiss the agency’s leadership for unprofessional conduct.
According to Abubakar, Distanbun’s verification team failed to follow the procedures outlined in the Directorate General of Plantations Decree No. 62 of 2023, which regulates the implementation of plantation infrastructure programs. He claimed that several requirements requested by the agency were irrelevant and only complicated matters for farmers.
“The way they verify proposals for independent smallholders’ farm roads is like a game. This funding doesn’t even come from the national or provincial budget, so why make it so difficult? Many of the things they check go beyond what’s required by the Directorate General. This is clearly obstructing the farmers,” Abubakar told beige-heron-208544.hostingersite.com on Tuesday (October 14, 2025).
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He also questioned the agency’s insistence on obtaining the North Aceh District Plantation Office head’s signature on the proposal documents, which he said was not stipulated in any regulation. “The aerial map already shows the farm road’s exact location, yet they still demand a district-level signature. It’s unreasonable and illogical,” he said.
Abubakar described Distanbun Aceh’s actions as a form of obstruction against independent smallholders striving to improve farm access and productivity. He further accused several agency officials of being unresponsive and uncooperative when contacted by the cooperative.
“We’ve tried to communicate with them, but there’s been no response. This concerns the interests of people in four villages — Cot Girek, Seureuke, Lubok Pusaka, and Buket Linteung. If this continues, we’ll take the matter directly to the President,” he asserted.
Abubakar also expressed surprise that his cooperative’s well-documented proposal was being delayed, while other less credible farmer groups seemed to get approved more easily. He suspected unequal treatment in the verification process.
“Our cooperative is fully legal and transparent. Why are we being doubted while some fictitious groups are being approved? This needs to be investigated,” he added.
Abubakar urged the Governor of Aceh to take firm action and improve Distanbun’s performance so that the sarpras program genuinely benefits smallholders. He also called on the Ministry of Agriculture, especially the Directorate General of Plantations, to directly monitor the program to prevent any misuse.
“If the government truly intends to advance and empower smallholders sustainably, practices like this must stop. A good program shouldn’t be derailed by unhealthy bureaucracy,” he concluded. (P2)
