Forestry Minister identifies 1.1 million hectares of social forestry land to support self-sufficiency
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has stated that his ministry has identified 1.1 million hectares of social forestry land for the cultivation of coffee, nutmeg, and cocoa to improve the welfare of communities living near forests and support national food self-sufficiency.
The minister said the 1.1 million hectares are currently undergoing identification and coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the development of coffee, nutmeg, cocoa, and other plantation commodities can proceed in an integrated and productive manner.
“There are 1.1 million hectares of social forestry that have been identified for planting coffee, nutmeg, and chocolate [cocoa],” the Forestry Minister said on the sidelines of a Lesson Learned Workshop entitled “Moving from the Ground: Sowing Inclusive Social Forestry for Sustainable Forests and Prosperous Communities” in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that the total area of social forestry currently stands at 8.3 million hectares, managed as part of a community empowerment programme whilst upholding the principles of forest conservation and environmental sustainability.
The Ministry of Forestry is currently identifying 1.1 million hectares of social forestry land projected for plantation commodity development through agroforestry patterns to support community welfare and sustainable forest conservation.
He emphasised that the development of these commodities is not only aimed at increasing residents’ incomes but also at ensuring forests remain sustainable, so that welfare and environmental sustainability can progress in balance.
“God willing, the communities will be empowered, welfare will increase, but the forests will also remain sustainable,” the minister said.
However, the minister did not yet specify the locations of the 1.1 million hectares of social forestry land currently being identified.
Previously, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the government had prepared a budget of approximately Rp9.95 trillion for the national plantation crop development programme in 2026 across 870 hectares in various regions of Indonesia.
The crop development programme forms part of efforts to downstream plantation commodities such as coffee, coconut, cocoa, avocado, and others. The programme also aims to strengthen environmental, food, and energy resilience nationally.
Furthermore, the development of plantation crops, particularly in mountainous areas with steep gradients, can serve to prevent erosion, thereby helping to avert landslides and flooding in the future.
“This is a programme directed by the President. This year we will plant plantation crops. This is downstream processing, and it also serves to prevent erosion,” Amran said when met at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (28 January).