$450 million earmarked for plantation projects
$450 million earmarked for plantation projects
JAKARTA (JP): The government has licensed 20 firms to
establish plantations aimed at promoting transmigration to the
country's less densely populated areas.
"All of the 20 private domestic firms will invest around Rp 1
trillion (US$450 million) between them," Minister of
Transmigration Siswono Yudohusudo said last week.
Out of the licensed companies, nine will open palm oil
plantations and seven others will establish industrial timber
estates, he said.
The minister did not disclose the commodities which will be
developed by the other four companies but said that they will
operate their plantations under a nucleus estate and smallholder
scheme.
Each of the plantations will be established on an area of
about 6,000 hectares, which can be extended to 10,000 hectares or
even 15,000 hectares, he said.
The planned plantations are expected to improve the livelihood
of transmigration farmers either by employing them as laborers or
by allowing them to supply commodities through their own small
holdings, Siswono added.
Of the nine palm oil plantations, seven will be located in
Central Kalimantan and two in Sumatra.
The firms that will operate in Central Kalimantan include PT
Meta Epsi Argo, PT Indhasana, PT Gemareksa, PT Wanapada, PT Graha
Jaya Abadi, PT Graha Jaya Wira Sentosa and PT Dwi Jaya Utama
Sejati, while the other two consist of PT Victorindo Alam Lestari
in North Sumatra and PT Rama Makati Beliti in South Sumatra.
The nucleus estate and smallholder plantation firms include PT
Kasmar Tiar Sembada in South Sulawesi, PT Tiga Mitra Perdana in
Aceh, PT Rigunas Agri Utama I in Riau and PT Rigunas II in Jambi.
The industrial timber estates will be operated by PT Rimba
Wawasan Permai in Aceh, PT Mayang Adi Wana in West Kalimantan, PT
Meranti Sembada in Central Kalimantan, PT Jati Cakrawala in
Maluku, PT Rimba Rokan Hulu in Riau, PT Antang Kalimantan in
Central Kalimantan and PT Sumalindo Lestari Jaya in East
Kalimantan. (hdj)