Indonesia Deploys Thousands of African Bugs to Boost Palm Output

Thousands of tiny bugs from Africa have been released at an Indonesian palm oil plantation in North Sumatra as the world’s biggest grower seeks to revive output growth after years of stalling production.

The release of about 7,000 African weevils at a plantation owned by state-run PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV on Thursday marks the first step of a broad plan to introduce around 1 million of the bugs across Indonesia. The hope is they will help to improve pollination and fruit development, lifting production.