President handsover community forest decrees in Tanah Laut

Pelaihari, South Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - President Joko Widodo handed over some decrees to manage community forests in South Kalimantan during his working visit to Tanah Laut District. 

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry decress were handed over to two community forest permit holders of Tebing Siring Village and Karang Taruna Village.

In the event in Pelaihari on Sunday, President Joko Widodo also handed over the same decrees to the representative of Marajai village, Balangan, and four other village institutions of Balangan, Central Hulu Sungai and South Hulu Sungai.

"I hope community forest holders to manage the land properly," the president said.

According to him, if within a year and a half the land is not utilized or neglected, the decree will be revoked and returned to the state.

He said the land should be planted with economic valued plants, so it can help the welfare of people in the area.

In addition, Joko Widodo asked community forest holders to no longer plant crops have been widely planted, in worry the sale value is not as expected.

He pointed out rubber and palm oil plantations are now widely grown in Indonesia, so the selling price in the market is not stable or there is a decrease.

Separately, the Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the handover of the decree is a series of the President's directions in a limited cabinet meeting on 21 September 2016, related to the acceleration of social forestry.

She explained that during his working visit in Tanah Laut, the President of the Republic of Indonesia handed over a 400 hectare community forest utilization permit to the Ingin Maju Farmer Group and Suka Maju Farmer Group.

She said, the location of Tebing Siring community forest was originally a grassland. Since 2011, the two farmer groups have been accompanied by the Center for Social Forestry and Agroforestry of the Faculty of Forestry, Lambung Mangkurat University, to manage the forest.

"The model developed in the first year is rubber planting combined with paddy fields and chili, the second year it is planted with long beans and others," said Siti Nurbaya Bakar.