Priority for Marginal Farmers, the Government Will Allot 9 Million Hectares of Land

Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya convey a press statement, in the office of President, Jakarta, Friday (27/2).

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) accompanied by Vice President Jusuf Kalla led the limited cabinet meeting regarding the availability of 9 million hectares of land to be distributed to the people, at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, Friday (27/2) afternoon.

“Essentially, we were asked to explain about the availability of 9 million hectares of land program along the period of this government,” Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, Ferry Mursidan Baldan said to reporters after the limited meeting.

Ferry explained that the land is owned by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. While the Ministry of Agricultural and Spatial manage the administration.

The Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman said that the next government plans to build a sugar mill that need sizeable land covering an area of 500 thousand hectares, by the number of sugar mills of 10 units with a capacity of 10000-12000 tons. Then for the food estate takes another 500 thousand hectares, which is planned to be built in Borneo.

“Then 1 million hectares are planned to build a plant oil palm plantations in Indonesia’s border with Malaysia. Therefore, the total land required 2 million hectares,” Amran said.

Marginal People

Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya who participated in a press conference said that the meeting which chaired by President Jokowi implemented to improve the welfare of marginal people through the implementation of the cabinet program.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the land could come from the land of the authority of the National Land Agency (BPN) or from the production forest area that could be converted as the land will be released into the farmers’ land.

“That’s 4.1 million hectares to 4.5 million hectares of forest area. The pattern of redistribution, there is a pattern partnership with plantation transmigration, transmigration as usual, and transmigration in cooperation with the partnership of the people,” Siti said while mentioning the target is covering 4.5 million poor people who will be covered.

“Production forest conversion, which will be released covers an area of 13.1 million hectares, but the forest already use right now, there are 900 thousand for transmigration. From as much as 13.1 million hectares of forest conversion can be released, it has been used 7.8 million,” Siti said.

Minister of Environment and Forestry hope, this policy could add to the ownership of agricultural land from the average of 0.8 hectares to 2 hectares for each farmer (Humas Setkab/ES)