Indonesia says it no longer needs forests for rice. What happens to projects underway?

Indonesia has declared it no longer requires expanding rice cultivation into forest areas, but the implications for ongoing large-scale food and energy projects in Papua and Kalimantan remain unclear. Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Hashim Djojohadikusumo announced on October 6 that the country had achieved rice self-sufficiency three years early and no longer needed the previously allocated 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) for food production.

He stated that the government sees no further need for expanding rice cultivation in designated forest areas and zones.

Mari Pangestu, President's Special Envoy for Multilateralism and International Trade, added that future food and biofuel production would focus on degraded land instead. The announcement seems to indicate a shift away from a government plan that environmentalists have labeled as one of the world's largest deforestation projects, involving extensive rice and sugarcane plantations in southern Papua.

However, two weeks before Hashim's announcement, the Ministry of Forestry designated approximately 5.67 million hectares (14 million acres) of forest through its 2026 Forest Utilization Direction Map (PAPH) as potential areas for forest-utilization permits. These permits could be used for food security, energy, and forest rehabilitation projects.

This inconsistency between official statements has raised concerns among environmental advocates. Musdalifah Jamal, a campaigner for essential ecosystems at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), expressed frustration with the contradiction, stating that it highlights the lack of coherence in the government's approach.

The discrepancy between the declared shift away from deforestation and the continued designation of forest land for potential permits raises questions about the government's commitment to reducing forest encroachment and its impact on ongoing projects in the region.