Implementation of food concession program could lead to 'massive deforestation' in Indonesia - National News - The Jakarta Post

A recent regulation from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry allowing forest land to be used as farmland under the government's "food lease" program has raised fears of possible mass deforestation, says the Indonesian Environment Forum (Walhi).

The ministerial directive on the reclassification of forests for food lease development, signed by City Minister Nurbaya Bakar on Oct. 26, allows forests to be converted into agricultural land in both protected and production zones. "The issuance of this ministerial regulation has shown the negative side of the food lease program. It will accelerate deforestation in our country and damage the environment," WALHI Executive Director Noor Hidayati said on Monday.

According to Article 19 of the Ministerial Regulation, protected forest areas can be converted into Forest Areas for Food Security (KHKP) if the forest does not fully occupy the function of a protected forest. Ministers, governors, heads of state agencies, regents and mayors may request authorization from the Minister of Environment and Forestry to convert both production and protected forests into KHKPs. Permits to manage KNCRs may be maintained for 20 years and may be renewed based on the results of a site utilization assessment.

The new regulation also increases the risk of land conflicts between large corporations and local farmers because it does not provide agricultural schemes for the latter, Noor said. She expressed doubts about the success of the food lease program, citing the failure of a similar program under the leadership of former President Suharto.

In the mid-1990s, the former strongman's administration sought to develop a food lease project called Million Hectare Peat Land (PLG), consisting of about 1.4 million hectares in Central Kalimantan. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration plans to use some of the former PLG land to develop its food lease.

The Jokowi administration has launched a food lease program including the development of about 164.6 thousand hectares of land in Central Kalimantan and 61 thousand hectares of land in North Sumatra under the National Strategic Projects 2020-2024. Food leases are to be developed for cultivated plants such as rice, potatoes, chives and garlic. The government said the food leases are essential in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, which has exacerbated Indonesia's food security problems. The projects also aim to overcome problems with food distribution across the archipelago, changing land use, especially in Java, and the country's growing population.

In late April, a month after the country's epidemic began, Jokowi reported that key commodities such as garlic, sugar, pepper and chicken eggs were insufficient in more than 20 provinces, while rice, a staple food for Indonesians, was deficient in seven provinces. The World Food Program (WFP) office in Indonesia estimated that the country's rice production fell 13.2 percent year-on-year to 16.1 million tons in the first half of 2020.

The issuance of the injunction comes at a time when organizers are facing criticism from environmentalists for the recently passed Job Creation Act, which weakens environmental regulations. "After the passage of the Job Creation Act, the minister's prescription will only further accelerate the exploitation of nature and deforestation in the country," Noor emphasized.

Representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry did not respond to a request from The Jakarta Post for comment.