History

Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE) Group started its journey in the palm oil plantation business in 1998 in Boven Digoel and Merauke, Papua. Until 2021, TSE Group through its subsidiaries already has eight palm oil plantations located in the Boven Digoel and Merauke districts, Papua, also Halmahera districts, North Maluku. They are under the domain of PT Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE), PT Dongin Prabhawa (DP), PT Berkat Cipta Abadi (BCA), PT Gelora Mandiri Membangun (GMM), and PT Papua Agro Lestari (PAL).

TSE Group’s journey began when PT TSE obtained a Forest Area Release Permit from the Ministry of Forestry for 34 thousand hectares (ha) of land in Boven Digoel in 1998. In the same year, the company started planting oil palm seedlings on an area of 7,917 ha which has continued to grow to this day.

TSE Group has succeeded in planting oil palm plants in six active plantation areas which have an area of approximately 60 thousand ha. The total production of fresh fruit bunches is more than 3 million ton in the past three years. In November 2023, TSE B has transferred a 1.741 ha plot to Peran Serta Marga (PSM) Cooperative.

PT TSE has three plantation areas — POP-A, POP-B, and POP-E. Only POP-E has not planted oil palm due to the company’s policy to reinstate the temporary moratorium on new development.

A similar challenge occurs with BCA. To be precise, this is the POP-D area in Merauke. BCA has obtained a Right to Cultivate (HGU) permit for around 10 thousand ha, but it has not yet been planted.

In addition to POP-D, BCA has a plantation area at POP-C in Merauke, which started the process of planting oil palm in 2012. As of 2016, the area has reached 11 thousand ha, which decreased in 2020 due to the transfer to plasma land. BCA built a CPO mill in 2016 and its capacity grew in 2022.

DP for the first time started planting plantations in 2011 in Merauke. In 2016, DP also built a CPO mill and its capacity increased in 2022.

GMM, the only subsidiary of TSE Group located in Halmahera, acquired its Right to Cultivate permit for around 10 thousand ha wide area in 2016. GMM has just inaugurated its factory in 2022.

PAL which is based in Merauke, on RI-PNG border to be exact, received its Right to Cultivate permit in the same year as GMM for around 25 thousand ha wide area. PAL’s palm oil plantation has kept on growing since 2014 with around 4.200 ha of its area planted.

Milestone

1998

TSE Group through TSE started planting oil palm on its own plantations for the first time.

2003

Construction of the first palm oil (CPO) processing plant. TSE Group through TSE built a CPO mill, specifically for POP-A plantations, with a capacity of 45 tons per hour. About 13 years later, the factory capacity was increased to 105 tons per hour.

2007

BCA obtained a location permit for an oil palm plantation. The Regent of Merauke also granted a palm oil plantation location permit to BCA with an area of 40 thousand ha . After obtaining a forest release permit in 2011 and obtaining a Business Use Rights (HGU), BCA started planting oil palm trees in 2012.

2010

TSE (POP-B) built a CPO mill with its latest capacity reaching 45 ton per hour.

2014

The making of palm oil plantations in Merauke for PAL and in Halmahera for GMM began.

2016

TSE (POP-A and POP-B) obtained ISPO certification. And then the Governor of Papua gave an award to TSE Group for being a company that has made the best social contribution efforts for the environment, society, and its business. Furthermore, BCA (POP-C) and DP (POP-M) built CPO mills with each capacity reaching 50 ton per hour.

2017

We received two awards from the Ministry of Agriculture for BCA and DP. BCA and DP received a certificate of appreciation as a commitment to prevent and control forest and land fires in oil palm plantation areas.

2018

We received an award from the Ministry of Social Affairs for TSE. They gave an award to TSE for being a company that has organized social welfare in the field of remoteness management.

2019

DP and BCA get ISPO certification. Plasma land management right is handed over to ZKB (Ziid Kiwab Bersatu) Local’s Cooperative by BCA.

2022

GMM built a CPO mill in South Halmahera with its production capacity reaching 30 ton per hour. In addition, TSE (POP-B), BCA (POP-C), and DP (POP-M) expanded the CPO mills with each capacity reaching 60 ton per hour, 75 ton per hour, and 100 ton per hour, respectively.

2023

The plasma farm management rights were transferred from TSE B to Peran Serta Marga (PSM) Cooperative

2024

GMM obtained ISPO certification.