Indonesia has planned to almost double its crude palm oil production from its current 27 million tons per year to 40 million tons per year by 2020. According to the Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association this expansion can be achieved without deforestation or destruction of peatland by using high-yielding oil palm seeds. If the 10 certified oil palm seed producers in the country with a combined annual capacity to produce over 200 million seeds developed seeds with significantly higher yields than the current average of 3.8 tons per hectare, Indonesia could double national production without new plantations. Although Indonesia’s national average yield is 3.8 tons per hectare, most smaller producers average 2-3 tons per hectare. In Malaysia the average yield is 4.5 tons per hecare and several well-managed larger plantations in Sumatra have seen yields of 7-8 tons per hectare. In field trials run by palm oil conglomerate Asian Agri, the Topaz variety of seed has produced up to 9 tons per hectare four to five years after planting. Commercial plantations in Sumatra that have replanted with Topaz seeds have reported oil extraction of 25% compared to the national average of between 18%-20%. Additionally, the U.S.-based World Resource Institute (WRI) published data stating that Indonesia currently has 14 million hectares of already deforested land that would be suitable for sustained growing of oil palm which would enable the country to expand its palm oil industry without clearing a single hectare of land.
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