"Especially for PT Toba Pulp Lestari, the president has specifically instructed me to conduct a comprehensive audit and evaluation of PT TPL," Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni remarked in a press statement on Monday.
"Once the (audit) results are available, I will announce them to the public, whether we will revoke or rationalize the PBPH (forest utilization business permit) they have controlled for the past few years," he continued.
On the same occasion, Antoni said his office had revoked 22 PBPH covering a total of 1,012,016 hectares.
The revocation was a follow-up to the President's order to regulate problematic PBPH, which is estimated to total 1.5 million hectares.
Antoni also announced the steps taken by the Forest Area Regulation Task Force (PKH), which consists of several ministries and agencies.
"As of today, we have disciplined 11 legal entities, and we will once again synergize the law enforcement process with the PKH Task Force," he remarked.
The government conducted rigorous evaluations and audits of several companies operating in the forest product processing sector following the flash floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra on November 25, 2025.
This disaster, in addition to extreme weather, is believed to have been worsened by environmental damage resulting from the massive conversion of forests to monoculture plantations and mining.
On December 13, President Prabowo Subianto also reaffirmed the government's commitment to curbing illegal logging practices in the country.
After visiting flood victims in North Sumatra, he addressed allegations of illegal logging as a contributing factor to flooding in Sumatra, stressing that the government is taking action against companies operating without legal permits.
"I plan to regulate all of that. We will regulate illegal logging. We have already started to regulate it," he remarked.
Related news: Prabowo plans weekly visits to flood-hit Sumatra regions
Related news: Govt adds fuel delivery points for Sumatra recovery ships
Related news: Budget efficiency secures disaster response funds, Prabowo says
Translator: Genta Tenri/Fathur Rochman, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
