PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has voiced full support for the plantation downstreaming program initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan). This commitment is being realized through the optimization of Social Forestry (Perhutsos) lands managed by forest-edge communities, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s downstream industry.
The initiative was discussed during a coordination meeting between the Ministry of Forestry and the Directorate General of Plantations (Ditjenbun) of the Ministry of Agriculture, held on Friday (October 3, 2025) at the ministry’s headquarters in Jakarta.
Deputy Minister of Forestry, Rohmat Marzuki, stated that the downstreaming policy aligns with the goals of sustainable forest development, particularly through community empowerment in Social Forestry management. To date, the Ministry has issued utilization permits for 8.9 million hectares of Social Forestry land, involving more than 1.2 million households across Indonesia.
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“Social Forestry lands are intended for local communities—most of whom come from low-income groups. Through this program, they are encouraged to manage land productively using an agroforestry system, combining around 60% timber crops and 40% non-timber crops, while maintaining environmental sustainability through the use of organic fertilizers,” Rohmat explained, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from Ditjenbun’s official Facebook page on Monday (October 6, 2025).
He added that four out of seven strategic plantation commodities in Indonesia are classified as timber crops. Therefore, integrating forestry policy with the downstreaming agenda is a strategic step toward strengthening a sustainable economy. “This synergy holds great potential—not only for increasing economic value but also for ensuring the long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems,” he emphasized.
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Meanwhile, Acting Director General of Plantations at the Ministry of Agriculture, Abdul Roni Angkat, highlighted that the downstreaming program is designed to strengthen the entire value chain—from upstream to downstream. Its main focuses include providing and utilizing superior seeds, empowering forest-edge communities, developing plantation crops, enhancing the capacity of field extension officers and seed breeders, and involving state-owned plantation enterprises such as PTPN and Riset Perkebunan Nusantara (RPN).
“Cross-sector collaboration is the key to ensuring that the downstreaming program delivers tangible benefits for farmers, forest communities, and the national industry as a whole,” Roni concluded. (P2)
