Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni insisted that the plan to utilize 20.6 million hectares of forest for food, energy, and water reserves will not involve deforestation.
“These areas will not be opened through deforestation but optimized sustainably,” he said during a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV on Thursday (23/1/2025).
Minister Raja Juli explained that the land consists of logged-over areas (LOA) or post-burned forests and can be rehabilitated through agroforestry, a system integrating trees with crops, according to antaranews.com.
By implementing this approach, the government aims to optimize forest functions while supporting food self-sufficiency. For example, planting rice on 1 million hectares could yield 3.5 million tons—equivalent to Indonesia’s rice import volume in 2023.
“This initiative will enhance food and energy reserves without compromising forest preservation,” Minister Raja Juli said.
(mg/inp/pr/nm)