He said that food security requires rice fields, while industrial and housing developments also seek affordable land, which is usually paddy fields.
"My duty as Minister of ATR/Head of BPN is to curb the rate of land conversion, so that rice fields are not converted into industrial and housing areas, or become the source of social conflict," he stated in a written statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He said that productive rice fields included in the Sustainable Food Agricultural Land (LP2B) must not be converted. If land replacement is necessary, the new land must have the same productivity.
"If rice fields produce 20,000 tons of unhusked rice (gabah) per year, then the replacement land must have the same productivity, not just the same area," he said.
According to 2021 data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), there was an estimated annual decrease of between 60,000 and 80,000 hectares in Indonesia's paddy fields. According to Minister Wahid, the loss of rice fields could threaten national food security.
"Food security requires rice fields. We must have rice fields for life. They cannot be converted to anything else," he noted.
He emphasized the importance of synergy between the government, community, and other stakeholders in maintaining productive agricultural land. With effective cooperation, it was hoped that the rate of land conversion can be minimized, thereby ensuring national food security.
As previously reported, Minister Wahid stated that the implementation of protected paddy fields can reduce rice field conversion, thereby maintaining food security and supporting the sustainability of Indonesia's agricultural sector.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: Primayanti
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