Timber estate, pulp plant development questioned<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Japanese parliamentarians and members of non-
\ngovernmental organizations (NGO) questioned the development of a
\ntimber estate and pulp plant in South Sumatra, which are
\nsuspected to have negative impacts on the people in surrounding
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Parliamentarian Shinichi Koizumi and Coordinator of the Japan
\nTropical Forest Action Network, Yoichi Kuroda, said that studies
\nhave shown the development of the pulp plant, to be built by PT
\nTanjung Enim Lestari, and the timber estate, owned by PT Musi
\nHutan Persada, has sparked land conflicts with the indigenous
\npeople of the area, the Antara news agency reported over the
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
Minister<\/p>\n
Kuroda, accompanied by members of the Indonesian Forum for
\nEnvironment (Walhi), met on Friday with Minister of Forestry
\nDjamaludin Suryohadikusumo to report on the studies conducted by
\nWalhi.<\/p>\n
The ministry's inspector general, Hariadi Darmawan, quoted
\nDjamaludin as saying that the Japanese were concerned that
\nJapan's financial aid -- provided for reforestation projects and
\nthe construction of a pulp factory in South Sumatra -- would not
\nreach its objective but would instead cause problems with
\nindigenous people.<\/p>\n
Japan's donor agencies for Indonesia's forest development
\nprojects include the Japan International Cooperation Agency
\n(JICA) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund.<\/p>\n
JICA is a donor to the government's reforestation program in
\nseveral areas of South Sumatra. According to Walhi, the areas
\nhave been taken over by Musi Persada.<\/p>\n
Walhi's studies have also discovered that Musi Persada, in
\norder to establish its timber estate, has appropriated the land
\nof seven indigenous villages at an extremely low price.<\/p>\n
According to Walhi's site surveys, Musi Persada has also
\nallocated an area with an extremely low tree density for its
\nconservation site and an area with a high tree density for its
\ntimber estate.<\/p>\n
Destruction<\/p>\n
Kuroda pointed out that forest destruction caused by such
\noperations could endanger the people's lives.<\/p>\n
Walhi also reported that Tanjung Enim had problems with the
\n1,600 hectares of land intended for its pulp factory.<\/p>\n
The land currently overlaps with five villages.<\/p>\n
Kuroda considered the compensation offered by Tanjung Enim to
\nthe people was too small and provided them with no means of
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
\"The minister agrees that development must not disregard the
\npeople's interest. Problems related to the social and public
\naspects of the forest will be highly regarded by the government,\"
\nHariadi said.<\/p>\n
\"All the problems will be carefully taken care of, but it is
\nimpossible to satisfy everyone,\" Djamaludin said.<\/p>\n
Tanjung Enim, a subsidiary of the Barito Pacific Group, will
\nbe built in collaboration with Japan's Marubeni Corp. and Nippon
\nPaper Industries.<\/p>\n
The two Japanese companies are expected to invest about US$100
\nmillion in the planned $1 billion pulp factory.<\/p>\n
Tanjung Enim's pulp production, planned to have an initial
\ncapacity of 450,000 tons per year -- which will be increased to
\none million tons a year -- will require some two million cubic
\nmeters of raw material during its first year of production.<\/p>\n
Timber supply for the factory is expected to come from Musi
\nPersada's timber estate.<\/p>\n
Musi Persada, 60 percent owned by Barito Pacific and 40
\npercent by state-owned PT Inhutani II, has concessions of 193,000
\nhectares for industrial timber plantation in South Sumatra. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/timber-estate-pulp-plant-development-questioned-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}