South Kalimantan Forestry develops corn agroforestry on 2,000 hectares

Banjarbaru, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - South Kalimantan Forestry Office (Dishut Kalsel) is promoting corn development through agroforestry in Social Forestry area with a potential of around 2,000 hectares to strengthen synergy between forestry and regional food security.

Head of the office Fathimatuzzahra said here on Wednesday the development is part of integration of forest management with productive food commodities to sustainably increase economic values of communities surrounding forest area.

“The potential for the development comes not only from social forestry areas, but also from a number of other identified locations, including in Tanah Laut District,” she said.

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In this area, she said, there are approximately 700 hectares of land available in collaboration with the South Kalimantan Regional Police (Polda Kalsel), and a potential for additional 1,500 hectares in the same area through optimized land use.

Furthermore, the Foresty Office also recorded a potential of about 100 hectares land in PT HRB's area in Jorong Sub-district, Tanah Laut, can be utilized to support corn crops expansion in the area.

Fathimatuzzahra also reminded that agroforestry development in social forestry needs to be adapted to field condition, as some of the land have already been cultivated by community permit holders. Thus, regulations are needed to avoid disrupting existing activities.

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Meanwhile, some locations are located in protected forest areas, so programs implementation must prioritize precautionary principles, including ensuring suitability of land, plant types and planting patterns to maintain the ecological function of the area.

The Foresty Office suggested field inspection with relevant parties, including the Regional Police, to ensure site readiness before further development to ensure the program's effectiveness.

Meanwhile, South Kalimantan Regional Police Chief Inspector General Rosyanto Yudha Hermawan emphasized the importance of synergy between local government, BUMN (SOEs), and businesses in supporting increased corn production as a strategic commodities.

South Kalimantan Government's Assistant for Economic and Development Ariadi Noor said corn has significant prospects due to its absorption into the feed industry. He proposed downstreaming processing needs to be strengthened to ensure it does not stop at raw material but develops into value-added products.