Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government is planning to utilize degraded land for food production as raw material for biofuels, eliminating the need for new land clearing for energy development.
This was conveyed by Special Envoy of the Indonesian President for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation Mari Elka Pangestu at the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum in Jakarta on Tuesday.
She stated that Indonesia has over 12 million hectares of degraded land with the potential to support increased food and biofuel production.
According to her, the government is committed to increasing food production for biofuels without deforestation to clear new land.
“We are committed to no longer deforesting to expand food production. Thus, the plan to allocate 2 million hectares announced last year for food production is no longer necessary,” she confirmed.
The plan has been discussed with the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Forestry, where both parties have agreed that future food production using biofuels as raw materials will be directed towards the utilization of degraded land.
Mari added that the use of this land will also be part of the Ministry of Forestry’s program related to afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation.
She noted that this policy also brings opportunities for investment and international cooperation in developing food and biofuel production based on degraded land.
Furthermore, increasing food production for biofuel also requires intensification through simultaneous improvements in productivity, resilience, and sustainability.
According to her, this can be achieved by developing higher-yielding seeds that can adapt to limited water and hotter temperatures, supported by more efficient fertilizer and water use. She added that research and development and international cooperation, including genome sequencing, are needed to develop such seeds.
The Indonesian government continues to promote biofuels as part of the clean energy transition while reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Indonesia has been implementing a 50 percent biodiesel program, or B50, since last July and is preparing to implement 20 percent bioethanol, or E20.
Furthermore, the government plans to increase the blending level to B60 next year.
The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI) estimates that the B60 implementation will require a supply of around 22 to 23 million tons of crude palm oil (CPO).
Meanwhile, the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) projects that national CPO production will only reach around 60 million tons by 2045, partly due to land limitations.
Moreover, the Clean Transition Coalition estimates that the implementation of B50 alone will require an additional 5.36 million hectares of oil palm plantations by 2039, with the potential for deforestation of 1.5 million hectares.
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Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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