Papua: 1.63M hectares for food crops & biofuel
The government said it has set aside 1.63 million hectares of land in southern Papua for food crops and plants to produce feedstock for biofuel industry, Asia Pulse reported.
The government will give priority to local investors to develop the plantations and invite foreign investors to invest in the manufacturing sector, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said.
Apriyantono said landless or meager farmers from Java could move to that area to grow rice in the project called Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate.
He said the forestry minister has allowed use of 585,000 hectares of denuded forest land in Merauke for the project. He said rice from the project will be exported.
The government will give priority to local investors to develop the plantations and invite foreign investors to invest in the manufacturing sector, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said.
Apriyantono said landless or meager farmers from Java could move to that area to grow rice in the project called Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate.
He said the forestry minister has allowed use of 585,000 hectares of denuded forest land in Merauke for the project. He said rice from the project will be exported.