Mass plundering at plantations

Mass plundering at plantations

SEMARANG: Some 1,000 hectares of plantations belonging to
state and private companies in the provinces have been plundered
or occupied in the past year, costing the firms hundreds millions
rupiah in financial losses.

Executive chairman of the Association of Central Java and
Yogyakarta Plantation Companies, R. Soetono, said on Wednesday
the crops mostly affected were coconuts, cacao beans, coffee
beans and rubber.

"I don't know the motives behind the plundering, but I suspect
the move was sparked by disappointment or abuse of the reform
spirit for personal purposes," Soetono was quoted by Antara.

The association has established an advocacy team to cope with
the matter, and called on the police to prevent further
plundering in the future.

"If the case is left unsettled, I'm afraid only a few
investors will be willing to put their money in agribusiness
here," Soetono said.