JAKARTA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government plans to issue a presidential decree for stopping enlargement of palm oil plantation and increasing productivity. Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said on Tuesday that coordination and discussion would be held with ministries to draft the decree on halt of opening new plantation and evaluation of the existing licenses in palm oil sector. With the planned policy, the government expects one of Indonesia's major exported commodity to boost productivity, said Moeldoko. Currently the productivity of the palm oil plantation in the country is only 2 to 4 tons per hectare per year and the government plans to double it to 8 tons per hectare every year, he said. That compares with 10 tons per hectare in Malaysia. "The measures to raise productivity is in line with President Joko Widodo guidance in replanting palm oil plantations," said Moeldoko. Indonesia produces 38.17 million ton crude palm oil in 2017 and 35.57 million ton in 2016, according to data from the country's palm oil association.
Indonesia is considering a ban on the enlargement of palm oil plantations and a review of existing licences to help increase productivity. Plantations of palm oil, one of Indonesia's major exports, currently produce between two and four tons per hectare 2017, but the government wants that that to double this year to allow the company to compete better with neighbour Malaysia, which harvests about 10 tons per hectare 2017. Indonesia produced 38 million tons of crude palm oil in each year, an increase on the previous year.