Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia During Distribution of Social Forest Decree and Agrarian Reform Object Decrees (TORA), Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province, February 22, 2023

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Good afternoon,
May prosperity be upon us all,

Distinguished Ministers of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet, Minister of Investment Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of SOE Erick Thohir. Anyone know? He is now the new Chairperson of the Indonesian Football Association, Cabinet Secretary, Minister of the Environment and Forestry, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki, Minister of ATR/BPN Hadi Tjahjanto,

Distinguished Governor of East Kalimantan province, along with all governors who attend virtually,

Distinguished all social forestry business groups who are here or attend virtually,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Everyone has received the Green Decree, and the Blue Decre, have you?

Show it. I can’t see the blue one, oh there’s the blue one. There’s also the blue one back there.

So the social forest decrees handed over today are 514 decrees for 59,000 families and a land area of 321,000 hectares. Then, nineteen customary forest decrees are also handed over, land covering an area of 77,000 hectares and forty-six Agrarian Reform Object Decrees (TORA).

My question is, it has been handed over, what will it be used for? For what purpose? For gardens, for tourism, planting coffee, planting rubber, planting durian, making tourism attraction, planting avocados. For you who grow avocados, come here. Introduce yourself.

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
My name’s Legiman, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Where are you from?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Born in Tenggarong, Sir, now I live in Balikpapan.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Lives in Balikpapan. How many hectares of land is stated in your decree?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Haven’t seen it. Head of Community will distribute it later.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Head of Community will distribute it later. Approximately how large is it?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Around two hectares, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Is it enough?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Yes.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
What are those two hectares planted with?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Planted crops, vegetables.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Crops, vegetables. How about the trees?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
I am planning to plant avocados, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Where are the seeds from?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
I receive assistance, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
From who?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
I don’t know it yet.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
What kind of assistance? Where does the help come from? Don’t know means it’s not clear. Minister, make sure it will be sent to Mr. Legiman. So two hectares need how many seeds? How many avocados?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Depending on the gap between trees. Someone will assist me later.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Depending on the gap between trees.

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Yes, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Also depending on the Head of Community?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Yes.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
So what do you imagine when you plant crops? What crops are planted? What to plant? Corn, cassava or else?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Corn, cassava, long bean.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
For avocado, how many years can you pick an avocado? When they are planted and grow, how many years are they harvested?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Depends on…

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Head of Community?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Yes. It will harvest when it’s ready.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
If it is ready, you will definitely harvest it. I understand. But my question is, if we plant it, after how many years for an avocado to be ready to harvest?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)

Around four five years.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Then my question, where to sell it when it’s harvested?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
Head of the Community.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Head of the Community will sell it?

Decree Recipient (Legiman)
He will arrange it with the cooperative.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Where’s the Head of Community? He was mentioned numerous times. Okay.

Then what else do you plant besides avocado? Orange? For tourism, what tourism? Plant Meranti? Then, why tourism? Come here. Introduce yourself.

Decree Recipient (Syaifudin)
My name is Syaifudin.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
What kind of tourism?

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
Nature education tourism, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
What is that?

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
For the elementary school children that we are now managing here, we often arrange camps for them to gain knowledge on nature. This area will later become a big city, near the capital city. That’s for sure, Sir

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Yes. 

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
Yes, that’s why we make it a tourism attraction there, Sir. Now every once or twice a month there are weekend-camp for elementary-junior high school students. 

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Take them to plant meranti trees.

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
They are invited to plant and there will be a symbol there, Sir. But unfortunately, the road for

450 m is still not yet cemented. 

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Isn’t it good? Back to nature.

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
At night, the elementary school children are struggling with the road. Poor them.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Well, this will be handled by the Governor or Minister of Public Works and Public

Housing.

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
Yes, Sir. Please do something about it. Thank you.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Minister of Public Works and Public Housing will solve the road problem.

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
Thank you, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Tell the Minister where the exact address is.

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
Okay, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
So where does the income come from?

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
The income is from the gazebo rental. The tariff for each child is Rp5,000.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Good, so there is income.

Decree Recipient (Saifudin)
Yes, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Okay, this is good. Interesting. So, children don’t just play a cellphone every day, they get to know nature, get to know meranti, camphor, kruing, eucalyptus, acacia, so they know everything. Don’t just play with cellphone every day from morning to night. This is great, I’m happy. So there are tourist spots for our children, so they get to know nature. What’s your name?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
My name is Sukarman from the Harapan Sejahtera farmer group, Karang Joang. I am currently developing hybrid coconut, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Developing hybrid coconuts means planting hybrid coconuts?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Yes, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
How many have been planted? 

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Around sixty.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Sixty trees?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Sixty trees.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
One hectare can be how many coconut trees?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Around 75-80 trees.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
After how many years it can be harvested?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Starting at the age of two years and seven months, is already blooming. Three years begin to harvest.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
How much can you get in a year, approximately, in Rupiah? For one tree.

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
One tree in a year is not optimal because we still lack fertilizer. 

President of the Republic of Indonesia
And then?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Only a few trees were harvested recently. In this one tree there were ten of them and there were seven of them.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Where do you sell it? 

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Sell it to Balikpapan. One coconut is sold for Rp10,000 for the early mature, for Pandan Wangi it is sold for Rp25,000.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Definitely sold out?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
Yes, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia
No problem?

Decree Recipient (Sukarman)
No, Sir. 

President of the Republic of Indonesia
Means how much a year can it be? Yes, you don’t have to count. Everyone, thanks for the information. You can take the bikes.

Then, in all provinces, I asked to raise the Green Decrees and Blue Decrees. Everything have it already? The Decrees have all been handed over, all of them.

All right, all the decrees must be used to improve the welfare. Everything has to be productive. We give it so that all the land is productive, don’t neglect it. That’s my suggestion.

Thank you.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

(EST/EP)