"We have plans for the social forestry program, an initiative designated as a national strategic program," Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni stated in a press release from his office here on Saturday.
He explained that the program has essentially been in operation since the administration of Indonesia’s 7th president, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), with 8.3 million hectares of land converted into "social forests."
"During President Jokowi's tenure, the government identified 12.7 million hectares of potential land," he noted.
"Farmers already have access to 8.3 million hectares, meaning that four million hectares remain available for use," Antoni added.
The minister clarified that the newly announced seven million hectares include the remaining four million hectares previously identified, along with newly assessed land.
"Based on my evaluation, the total potential land has increased from 12.7 million to 15 million hectares. In other words, we now have the opportunity to provide our farmers with access to seven million hectares of social forests," he stated.
Antoni further emphasized the government's commitment to encouraging local farmers to make optimal use of forested areas to contribute to Indonesia's food and energy self-sufficiency goals.
At the same time, he underscored the need to balance these objectives with sustainability measures to protect forest ecosystems.
To this end, the minister highlighted the necessity for forest rangers to adopt a more humane and collaborative approach to forest protection -- one that welcomes farmers while ensuring responsible resource utilization.
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Translator: Arnidhya N, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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