JP/13/hutan

Govt to set a new HTI policy

JAKARTA: The government is set to issue a new package of policies on industrial forest estates (HTI) in the next two weeks to develop more timber plantations, but without endangering the forests.

Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa made the remark during a meeting on Thursday with a number of entrepreneurs who operate in forest estates on Thursday.

"The minister initiated the meeting because he wanted to explore and try to find ways to attract more investors into the industry," said the chairwoman of the Forestry Industry Revitalization Agency (BRIK), Soewarni, who attended the closed- door meeting, told reporters.

BRIK is an agency established by the Ministry of Forestry and Ministry of Industry and Trade but managed by businesspeple to find solutions to problems in the industry.

Soewarni refused to to go into detail about the new policy.

"The move may alleviate the number of unemployment in the forestry sector," she said, while referring to a recent projection by the Indonesia Employers' Association (Apindo) that some 600,000 forestry workers might lose job this year.

Industrial timber estate companies manage a total 2.7 million hectares of the country's forest area. Such companies have been blamed for contributing to the destruction of environment due to their failure in rehabilitating and sustaining their resources.