Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni delivered the statement while responding to concerns of forest areas to support the food self-sufficiency program that would lead to deforestation.
"The idea is this 20.6 million hectares will remain as forest area. It will not be cleared, destroyed, or deforested—but we will maximize the function of the forests," he said here on Thursday.
Through the intercropping system, he informed, the government is considering planting forest areas with crops, for example, teak (Tectona grandis) or sengon (Albizia chinensis) trees with upland rice or corn plantation underneath.
According to Antoni, the government is referring to a nomenclature that regulates the use of forests as food and water reserves.
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Based on the government's calculation, 1 million hectares of land can produce 3.5 million tons of rice, equivalent to the volume of national imports, under the intercropping system.
"Our rice imports in 2023 were 3.5 million tons, if we plant it by intercropping in forest areas then 1 hectare can produce 3.5 tons of rice—meaning we no longer need to import," he explained.
With the intercropping system, he affirmed, Indonesia can achieve food self-sufficiency while maintaining forest cover and minimizing deforestation.
"Make no mistake, we are not clearing forests but we are replanting dense trees, underneath which are planted food crops that benefit the people. Logically, the food reserve forest actually minimizes deforestation," he said.
Along with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Forestry will begin planting on 50 hectares of the total of 20.6 million hectares of targeted forest area on January 22, 2025.
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Translator: Ni Putu Putri Muliantari, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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