Ministry urged to speed revitalization of damaged forest<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Vice president Jusuf Kalla has urged the Ministry of Forestry to
\nfully utilize the massive amount of forest rehabilitation funds
\n-- most of which is currently earning interest in local banks --
\nto help speed up the revitalization of the country's ailing
\nforestry industry.<\/p>\n
The funds are also needed to accelerate efforts to
\nrehabilitate the nation's devastated forests, which
\naccording to the ministry, has reached between 31.4 million and
\n59.2 million hectares.<\/p>\n
According to a recent ministry report, the rehabilitation
\nfunds, collected since the 1970s from businesspeople holding
\nforest concessions, now amounts to Rp 11 trillion (US$1.17
\nbillion).<\/p>\n
\"I have ordered the Ministry of Finance to find ways to
\nimmediately distribute the idle funds to rehabilitate our forests
\nand help create better forest management,\" said Kalla in front of
\nbusiness players in the forestry industry on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Kalla, however, emphasized the need to boost supervision of
\nthe money, as most of it had allegedly been misused by ministry
\nofficials, as well as businesspeople in collusion with the
\nministry.<\/p>\n
\"Many people are seeking profits from the program. One small
\nexample, the price of seeds for certain programs is often
\ninflated from the original price,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban acknowledged that some
\nofficials at his ministry and their private sector partners in
\nthe program were seeking as much profit as possible from the
\nprogram, while ignoring the rehabilitation program.<\/p>\n
In fact, that was part of the reason behind the ministry of
\nfinance move to not release the money.<\/p>\n
\"The orientation of people involved in this program is merely
\nprofit. We want to change that now by showing that this is a for-
\nprofit program, but a social responsibility toward our
\nenvironment,\" said Kaban.<\/p>\n
This year, the Ministry of Forestry has allocated some Rp 3.2
\ntrillion for restoring some 750,000 hectares of denuded natural
\nforests, up from 251,000 hectares at a cost of Rp 2.3 trillion a
\nyear ago.<\/p>\n
The 2004 rehabilitation figure is lower than the initial
\ntarget of 500,000 hectares. In 2003, the ministry managed to
\nrestore some 251,000 hectares of forest, far lower than its
\nearlier target of 500,000 hectares.<\/p>\n
Kaban said that the ministry was having difficulties in
\nmeeting the rehabilitation target, citing inefficiency as a
\nresult of corruption, the lack of supervision for the program and
\npoor coordination with the provincial administrations.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, ministry spokesman Transtoto Handhadari said that
\nthe plan by the government to immediately use the money for
\nrehabilitation to increase the supply of legal wood available for
\nthe companies in the wood-processing sector.<\/p>\n
\"There is a plan to use some of the funds for industrial
\nplantations so that they can sufficiently supply raw material to
\nlocal forestry based industry,\" said Transtoto.<\/p>\n
At present, the country's forestry-based industry is facing a
\nshortage of legal raw material because those in charge of
\nreplanting are not efficient enough to keep the supply up, which,
\nin turn, increases the demand for illegal wood from across the
\ncountry.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ministry-urged-to-speed-revitalization-of-damaged-forest-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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