80 percent of forest fires caused by plantation firms
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)