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December 2, 2024 | 09:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Deputy Chairperson of the Gerindra Party’s Board of Trustees, has dismissed claims of massive deforestation in the food estate project in Merauke, South Papua. He asserts that the deforestation rate is not as significant as widely rumored.
“Sixty percent of the food estate land in South Papua was empty, devoid of trees or forests. Therefore, the deforestation claim is not as extensive as reported,” Hashim, the younger brother of President Prabowo Subianto, said during the Extraordinary Congress of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Indonesia at Hotel Mulia, Jakarta, on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Hashim, who is also the CEO of Arsari Group, clarified that much of the land used for the food estate project comprises alang-alang grasslands and savannas. He emphasized that the government conducted thorough assessments before initiating the project during the Joko Widodo or Jokowi administration.
“If you members of Kadin hear criticisms from NGOs or international sources, consider them 100% unfounded, with perhaps some elements of truth,” Hashim cautioned.
In response to international concerns regarding deforestation, Hashim announced that Prabowo has proposed a massive reforestation program to the global business community. The program aims to reforest 12.7 million hectares of government-owned land.
Data from the World Resources Institute's Global Forest Review indicates that Indonesia contributed 5.6% of global primary forest loss in 2022, amounting to approximately 230,000 hectares. This places Indonesia fourth globally in terms of primary forest loss. In 2023, the figure rose to around 290,000 hectares.
Sapta Ananda Proklamasi, a Senior Researcher at Greenpeace Indonesia, noted that deforestation in South Papua accelerated in 2015, reaching 30,000 hectares. The following year, it further increased to 33,000 hectares. Over the nine years of Joko Widodo or Jokowi's presidency, deforestation in the region totaled 107,000 hectares, compared to 90,000 hectares lost during the previous 14 years under different administrations.
Avit Hidayat contributed to the writing of this article
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