Home Affairs Ministry: Agrarian Conflict Task Force a Model for Resolution

Palu (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) has assessed that the Agrarian Conflict Resolution Task Force (Satgas PKA) in Central Sulawesi can serve as a good example in resolving agrarian conflicts. “The presence of the Satgas PKA is excellent, a goodwill gesture from the Governor of Central Sulawesi to resolve agrarian conflicts. As the first of its kind in Indonesia, this deserves appreciation,” said Febry Joko Arianto, a representative from the Ministry’s Directorate General of Politics and General Government (Ditjen Polpum), in Palu on Monday. The Ministry is even planning to invite Central Sulawesi Governor Anwar Hafid to Jakarta to present the model for establishing the Satgas PKA, which is considered the first in Indonesia. He stated that the conflict handling data compiled by the Central Sulawesi Satgas PKA will be used as a reference in formulating national-level land dispute resolution policies. According to him, the Ministry views the Satgas PKA as a breakthrough in agrarian conflict resolution that can be replicated by other regional governments. Therefore, Febry said, the task force’s working concept and experience will be studied as material to strengthen policy at the national level. In line with this, Agus Pranata, a representative from the Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU), said his visit to Central Sulawesi aimed to study first-hand the agrarian conflict handling mechanism implemented by the Satgas PKA. He mentioned that the data and experience of the Satgas PKA will serve as input for the CRU together with the Ministry’s Ditjen Polpum to strengthen efforts to resolve agrarian conflicts in Indonesia. “We will review the data from the Satgas PKA as policy input. This is not advocacy, but more about sharing roles and experiences in handling agrarian conflicts,” he said. In addition to studying the achievements of the Satgas PKA, his party is also gathering various technical obstacles faced by the Central Sulawesi Provincial Government. The results will be presented at a central-level coordination meeting as evaluation material. On the occasion, the Daily Chairperson of the Central Sulawesi Satgas PKA, Eva Susanti Bande, outlined the condition of agrarian conflicts in the region. As of March 2026, the task force recorded land disputes occurring in 103 villages, covering an area of 21,107.6 hectares and affecting at least 9,094 families. North Morowali is the district with the highest number of conflicts, with 21 cases. It is followed by Morowali Regency with eight cases, Palu City with seven cases, Donggala Regency with five cases, Poso with four cases, Tolitoli with two cases, and Buol and Tojo Una-Una with one case each. Eva revealed that the oil palm plantation sector remains the largest contributor to agrarian conflicts in Central Sulawesi. Of the 61 registered palm oil companies, 43 companies, or about 70 per cent, are known to not yet possess a Cultivation Rights Title (HGU). According to her, this condition not only triggers conflicts within the community but also impacts the potential loss of regional revenue from the plantation land and building tax (PBB) and levies, estimated to reach IDR 400 billion annually.