Indonesia seizes land the size of Switzerland in crack down on resources: ‘just beginning’
Prabowo Subianto’s government has taken over 4 million hectares of plantations and mines since last January
Already, the central government has taken more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) of plantations, mine concessions and processing facilities – and much of that land has been handed to a state-owned firm newly tasked with managing seized estates.
“This is just the beginning,” Prabowo said at an event late last month. “We are on the right and noble path of defending the interests of millions of Indonesians.”
Domestic upheaval could soon have global consequences. Indonesia is the world’s top exporter of coal and palm oil, the biggest nickel producer and a leading source of copper and tin – commodities key for food and energy supplies, as well as future-facing technologies.
“This increasingly shows the character of a Prabowo-style command economy,” said Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, executive director at the Jakarta-based Centre of Economic and Law Studies. “Methods like this reduce interest from investors, both in the plantation sector and in conservation.”