Zulhas Says Plantation and Mining Governance Has Improved Under Prabowo

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) has said that spatial planning, plantations and mining are beginning to run more effectively under the government of President Prabowo Subianto. According to him, enforcement of the rules is the key to fixing the governance of land and natural resources.

Zulhas said the government already has mapping of forest areas and other territories. The problem, however, has been a lack of discipline in carrying out the rules that have been set.

“So spatial planning was created to produce a single map. When I was Minister of Forestry, there was no single map. That is why we will create one,” Zulhas said at the Limited Coordination Meeting on ‘Achieving National Food Security and Sovereignty’ at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Food in Jakarta on Monday (7/9/2026).

He said the mapping carried out by the government already covers a number of areas, such as forests and others.

“Which areas are forest, which areas are this or that — they are actually already registered. That is why in the map there are yellow zones, green zones, they already exist. It is just that we are not disciplined, that is the issue,” he said.

“For example, an area where plantations are not allowed, yet they cannot be caught. So the map does exist, Pak Nusron, does it not? It already exists. Forest areas are there, I mentioned national parks earlier. National parks are off-limits, yet there are many plantations inside national parks. The ones that are prohibited are being seized and only then is the law enforced, but by then it has already gone too far,” he continued.

Zulhas said that spatial planning for housing has yet to be enforced. However, for plantations and mining, enforcement has begun under President Prabowo.

“Housing has not started to be enforced yet, housing not yet, not started, oh, shifting slightly. Plantations have only just begun. And even plantations only succeeded under Pak Prabowo. I failed back then. Mining too, only under Pak Prabowo,” he said.

According to him, spatial planning rules must be enforced with discipline so that designated areas do not change function.

“Indeed, we must be disciplined, otherwise it will not work. But the framework is already there, actually,” he concluded.