179 Villages in Palm Oil Plantation Areas Remain Behind

Several villages in palm oil plantation areas are not yet prosperous. In Sumatra and Kalimantan, there are 179 palm oil-producing villages from 10 cities and regencies each that are still underdeveloped and very underdeveloped.

Based on the Developing Village Index (IDM) status in villages with palm oil as the main commodity, there are 48 underdeveloped villages in Sumatra. Meanwhile, there are 3 very underdeveloped villages in that region. Rokan Hilir Regency has the highest number of underdeveloped villages, with 15 villages.

In Kalimantan, underdeveloped villages in palm oil plantation areas reach 106 villages. Meanwhile, there are 22 very underdeveloped villages in the same area. Sanggau and Ketapang Regencies are the palm oil-producing areas with the highest number of underdeveloped villages, with 20 villages each.

The IDM is an index measured from indicators of social resilience, economic resilience, and environmental resilience. Underdeveloped and very underdeveloped villages are those that possess social, economic, and ecological resources but have not been managed effectively, resulting in their communities not being prosperous and remaining below the poverty line.