80 percent of forest fires caused by plantation firms

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah estimated yesterday that about 80 percent of the country's forest fires were caused by plantation companies.

Sjarifudin said the controlled burning system adopted by plantation companies did not work effectively and as a result fires had spread in nearby areas.

"About 80 percent of the controlled burning of plantations is done by small companies and the rest by large companies," Sjarifudin said in a meeting with plantation companies at his office.

The minister said fires had destroyed 108,700 hectares of forest up to July this year.

According to reports from his ministry, the controlled burning carried out by plantation companies covered about 1,915 hectares in Riau alone, comprising 18 hectares of hybrid coconut plantations, 1,755 hectares of palm oil estates and 142 hectares of rubber plantation, while in Jambi, fires covered 1,200 hectares of oil palm estates and 2,000 hectares of sugarcane plantations in South Kalimantan.

Most of the country's fires took place in Central Kalimantan. Other affected areas included West Kalimantan, Sumatra's Riau and Jambi provinces.

Sjarifudin said his ministry had banned the use of controlled burning in developing new plantation areas and had also issued special punishment for those who violated the ruling.

Under Law No. 4/1982 and government regulation No.28/1985, anyone found damaging the environment is liable to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to Rp 1,000,000 (about US$360).

But he said the ruling had not been enforced and no plantation companies had been punished.

Haze

The fires have resulted in thick haze here and in Malaysia and Singapore, causing pollution and disrupting transportation. In Malaysia, the haze also reportedly posed respiratory problems to many people.

The government reached an agreement with Malaysia and Singapore at the ASEAN Senior Officer on Environment (ASOEN) Task Force on Trans-Boundary Haze Pollution meeting on Aug. 11 in Jakarta to jointly to protect forests and prevent fires in the region.

State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said earlier this month that forest fires destroy about 30 million cubic meters of Indonesian forest every year, causing "potential" losses of Rp 240 trillion.

He said fires had destroyed 9,233 hectares of forest -- 3,633 hectares of industrial and conserved forest and 5,600 hectares of oil palm plantations.

He said fire had so far destroyed 16,000 hectares of land in Sumatra and Kalimantan, while 6,000 hectares had been opened to timber estates and the rest converted to farmland.

He estimated that about 550,000 hectares was in danger of being burned to make way for 300,000 hectares targeted for industrial forest, 200,000 hectares for plantations and 50,000 for the transmigration program.

Most companies favored controlled forest burning and slash-and-burn over other methods to clear land because it was less expensive.

Yesterday's meeting intended to introduce ways of clearing land without forest burning to plantation businesses. (08)