Jakarta (ANTARA) - Land-grabbing practices in Indonesia have declined in the last 10 years, thanks to a government push to get land ownership certificates into the hands of rightful owners, President Joko Widodo said.

"Land-grabbing practices have drastically declined as many residents now hold the certificates," Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, said during an event of land certificate handover in Banyuwangi, East Java, which was followed online on Tuesday.

Citing a report from the National Land Agency, he noted that out of 126 million land plots nationwide, only 46 million currently have certificates, leaving 80 million vulnerable to disputes.

However, he said, due to digitalization, the certificate issuance process at the BPN is currently running faster in pursuance of the target of providing 126 million certificates by 2025.

"At that time, I ordered the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning to do everything; I asked for more than 10 million certificates issued per year. Finally, it can be reached. Moreover, now, the process is very quick for electronic certificates," he said.

Jokowi added that he received a commitment from the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, to complete the land certificate distribution this year.

"He (the minister) conveyed that this year or next year, the target of 126 million will likely be completed," the president said.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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