Prabowo Strips 18 Companies of Forest Permits Covering 0.5 Million Hectares

JAKARTA, investortrust.id – President Prabowo Subianto has instructed Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni to revoke the forest management permits of 18 companies due to their prolonged failure to utilize their business licenses for forest utilization. Some of these permits date back as far as 1997—28 years ago.

Raja Juli announced the decision after meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday, Feb 3, 2025.

“There are private entities that have been granted forest management rights but have not made full use of them. The President has ordered that these forests be optimized for the welfare of the people,” Raja Juli stated.

The affected permits cover a total of 526,144 hectares of forested land, spanning from Aceh to Papua. According to Raja Juli, before revoking the permits, the Ministry of Forestry had followed several procedures, including sending inquiries about license usage and issuing warnings to the 18 companies.

“We have a clear mechanism for issuing warnings, sending letters, and conducting re-evaluations. Ultimately, I will revoke these permits with President Prabowo’s approval,” he explained.

The revocation will be formalized through a ministerial regulation set to be issued soon. As a result, control over these vast forested areas will revert to the state.

“The permits will be taken over by the government, turning them into state forests. We may later reissue permits, whether to state-owned enterprises, Danantara, or other entities,” Raja Juli said.