Mahmudi tries to sell regions on proposal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry and Plantation Nur Mahmudi
\nIsmail said on Monday that regional administrations will benefit
\nfrom his proposal to put all forestry concessions in the hands of
\nPerum Inhutani, the state-owned forestry company.<\/p>\n
Defying critics, Mahmudi continued with his campaign to sell
\nhis proposal, in which private companies wishing to exploit
\nIndonesia's forestry resources must work under contract with
\nInhutani instead of under concessions.<\/p>\n
On Monday, he spelled out the benefits to the different
\nregions as the government implements the new regional autonomy
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
Regions will have greater say in the way forestry contracts
\nare awarded. They will be able to keep up to 70 percent of
\nInhutani's share of the profit and create job opportunities for
\nthe locals, he said at a discussion on the government's forestry
\npolicy.<\/p>\n
\"Regional administrations will be involved. The good thing is
\nthat they will no longer think of their own regions but can also
\nadvise others on the conservation and development of forest land
\nin different regions as well,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has 41 million hectares of production forest land
\nthat is managed by 320 units of forest concessions.<\/p>\n
Currently, timber companies work under 20-year concessions,
\nbut the system has been widely criticized for failing to protect
\nthe sustainability of Indonesia's forests.<\/p>\n
The discussion at the Manggala Wanabhakti building was
\norganized by the Reform Committee for Forestry and Plantation
\nDevelopment and the Environmental Research Center of the Bogor
\nAgricultural Institute.<\/p>\n
Critics have warned that the proposal would lead to even
\ngreater destruction of Indonesia's forestry resources since
\ncompanies were likely to be less concerned about conservation if
\nworking under contract rather than under concessions.<\/p>\n
They also said that the plan goes against the spirit of the
\n1999 Regional Autonomy Law by depriving regions of the right to
\nmanage their own forestry resources.<\/p>\n
Mahmudi, who disclosed the proposal early this month, is
\ncurrently drumming up support before presenting it to the House
\nof Representatives for approval.<\/p>\n
He said on Monday that East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and
\nthe Jambi provincial administrations have already endorsed the
\nproposal and that others would follow suit.<\/p>\n
Mahmudi argued that under the proposal the decision of
\nawarding the contracts would rest with the regions, including the
\ninvolvement of local companies and workers.(10)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mahmudi-tries-to-sell-regions-on-proposal-1447893297",
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