On Saturday (23/4/2022), a public lecture was held by the Food Technology Study Program of Sumatra Institute of Technology. The public lecture discussed the future of the palm oil industry and its derivative products in the disruptive era and the Industry 4.0 revolution. The event was attended by Mr. Suheri Prayoga (Asset Manager – Lampung Refinery, PT. Louis Dreyfus Group Indonesia) and Mr. Jimmy chen (Talent Acquisition Manager, PT. Asian Agri). The event was attended by more than 200 participants joining online.
As the world’s largest palm oil producing country, Indonesia has production and consumption trends that continue to rise every year. However, the Indonesian palm oil industry, in producing both its main and derivative products, faces challenges from the Disruptive Era and the Industry 4.0 Revolution in the future. Conditions in the palm oil industry, such as the demand for and scarcity of cooking oil in recent times as well as conflicts over use between the food and non-food sectors, require the role of the Food Technology academic community. This activity is a momentum to raise awareness of the potential, challenges, and research opportunities that can provide benefits for Sumatra and Indonesia. For Food Technology students and alumni of Sumatra Institute of Technology, this is certainly an opportunity to learn about career paths in the Palm Oil Industry as preparation for life after campus.
Amalia Wahyuningtyas, coordinator of the ITERA Food Technology Study Program, said that this activity is very beneficial for ITERA food technology students to prepare for and become familiar with the palm oil industry and its derivative products. Suheri Prayoga added that students need to understand that palm oil products and their derivatives are around us at all times, so opportunities for research and the palm oil industry will remain wide open in the future. Jimmy chen gave a message to students to continue developing the soft skills and life skills that students must have to prepare for life after campus in the Palm Oil Industry in the future.
Today’s public lecture is a follow-up to the cooperation between the ITERA Food Technology Study Program and PT. LDC Indonesia, after previous guest lectures and certified Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) internships. In addition, this activity is expected to be a starting point for collaboration and the development of cooperation opportunities with Asian Agri for education, research, and community service activities for Sumatra and Indonesia.
