Gorontalo Governor Gusnar Ismail officially released the export of 10,000 tons of wood pellets from Lalape Port, Popayato Timur District, Pohuwato Regency, produced by PT Biomasa Jaya Abadi (BJA) which will be sent to Japan and South Korea. PT BJA, which has invested IDR 1.52 trillion in Gorontalo, has now exported 34 times with a total volume of 376,271 tons and an export value of around US$52 million or IDR 780 billion.
“Wood pellets from Gorontalo cover around 51%-52% of national products exported to Japan and Korea. The export value has reached around US$52 million, which has a significant impact on the Gorontalo economy. That is the reason we came here to review it directly,” said Gusnar Ismail, quoted on Wednesday (14/5/2025).
Gusnar emphasized that Pohuwato Regency has a strategic role in boosting the regional economy. This can be seen from the achievement of Gorontalo’s economic growth which recorded a figure of 6.07% in the first quarter of 2025, the fourth highest nationally. One of the main factors driving this growth is the existence of various investments, including investments made by PT BJA.
“Pohuwato is one of the areas that has a lot of investment, and we hope that this investment ecosystem can be well established through cooperation between the government, the community, and companies,” continued Gusnar.
He also emphasized the importance of nature conservation and attention to the welfare of the surrounding community. He hopes that PT BJA can pay attention to environmental sustainability by balancing the number of trees cut down with the number of trees replanted. In addition, Gusnar appreciated the absorption of local workers by PT BJA. Of the 1,200 workers employed, around 69% of them come from the local area. This is considered important so that the economic impact of this investment can be directly felt by the surrounding community. The export of wood pellets from Gorontalo shows the great potential of the natural resources sector to support regional economic growth while providing a positive impact on the local community through job creation. With investment continuing to grow, Gorontalo is expected to continue to contribute to the national economy.
May 14, 2025, detikTravel
(https://finance.detik.com/berita-ekonomi-bisnis/d-7914008/gorontalo-ekspor-10-000-ton-wood-pellet-ke-jepang-korsel)