Next steps unclear after Indonesia’s pledge to stop clearing forests for rice fi...

Indonesia pledged to cease deforestation for rice cultivation after reaching self-sufficiency ahead of schedule, but the next steps remain unclear. According to forestry think-tank Auriga Nusantara, forest loss surged by 66 percent in 2025 to 433,751 hectares, with over 78,000 hectares linked to food and energy self-sufficiency programs.

President Prabowo Subianto's younger brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, stated that the government had achieved rice self-sufficiency three years early without needing to plant the planned two million hectares of food estates. However, the Forestry Ministry remains uncertain about the implications of Hashim's remarks, clarifying that it sees his comments as affirming a policy of meeting food needs through productivity and better use of existing land.

The ministry emphasized that it cannot yet confirm which activities in South Papua and Kalimantan will stop, as this decision falls to the Agriculture Ministry and other relevant agencies. Meanwhile, Mari Elka Pangestu, deputy chair of the National Economic Council, suggested that thousands of hectares of forest, including swamp forest and peatlands, have already been cleared for rice fields.

She proposed using degraded land, which accounts for over 12 million hectares, as an alternative for future food and biofuel production. The Agriculture Ministry's chief spokesman, Arief Cahyono, did not respond to inquiries. The government plans to focus on raising yields on existing farmland, including soya beans, which Indonesia still imports.

Hashim expressed confidence that Indonesia would be self-sufficient in soya beans within about three years.