Government to open 20 million hectares of forest for food security

Jakarta – The government announced a strategic plan to open 20 million hectares of forest reserves to strengthen national food, energy and water security. This step is expected to support various development programs and reduce Indonesia’s dependence on food and fuel imports.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni explained that the move aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to optimise the potential of natural resources. “We have mapped an area of 20 million hectares that can be utilised to support food, energy and water security. This is a big step to ensure people’s basic needs are met,” he said in a press release on Thursday, January 2.

According to Raja Juli, of the total land prepared, around 1.1 million hectares can be planted with upland rice, a rice variety suitable for dry land.

“If optimised, this land can produce up to 3.5 million tons of rice per year, equivalent to Indonesia’s rice imports in 2023,” he said.

In addition, the government will also utilise most of the land for sugar palm cultivation as a source of bioethanol.

“One hectare of sugar palm plants can produce 24 thousand litres of bioethanol annually. By planting sugar palms on 1.5 million hectares of land, we can produce 24 million kiloliters of bioethanol, enough to replace fuel oil imports of up to 26 million kiloliters,” he explained.

Food estate program and village food barns

The program will also expand the food estate concept that has been implemented previously, focusing not only on a large scale but also on food barns at the local level.

“We want this program to reach the villages. The concept is not only large-scale but also small-scale and adaptive to local needs,” said Raja Juli.

This grand plan involves close collaboration between the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR). Raja Juli said that the Ministry of Forestry will be a land provider. At the same time, management and technical implementation are responsible for the Ministries of Agriculture and MEMR.

“We continue to discuss with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure this plan is in line with the food self-sufficiency target, as well as with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to ensure bioethanol output can be included in the national energy system,” he added.

President Prabowo Subianto welcomed the plan and emphasised the importance of cross-sector cooperation to ensure its success. Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono also supports this initiative, especially for the upland rice cultivation program on dry lands with great potential.

Raja Juli is optimistic that the program will significantly impact in the long run. “This is not just about production numbers but also ensuring our nation’s resilience amid global challenges. We must move together for a better future,” he concluded.

With this plan, the government hopes to strengthen food and energy security, create new jobs, reduce dependence on imports, and promote environmental sustainability. (Hartatik)

Like this article? share it

More Post

Receive the latest news

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

Get notified about new articles