InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The Center for Studies and Advocacy of Natural Resources Law (PUSTAKA ALAM) revealed shocking findings regarding the implementation of forest area enforcement by the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH). In its latest study, the institution found that hundreds of thousands of hectares of community-owned palm plantations were allegedly included in the list of objects for reclamation (PKH) reported by the Task Force to the government. Out of a total of 3.4 million hectares of forest areas claimed to have been reclaimed by Satgas PKH as of October 1, 2025, 1.5 million hectares have been handed over to PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara. However, PUSTAKA ALAM's study shows that approximately 614,235 hectares of this are community palm plantations mistakenly recorded as "reclaimed" land. PUSTAKA ALAM Director, Muhamad Zainal Arifin, called this finding a strong indication of legal violations in the implementation of Satgas PKH's duties. “Satgas PKH reported to President Prabowo that all reclaimed land belonged to companies. However, our analysis proves otherwise — more than six hundred thousand hectares of it are community-owned palm plantations,” emphasized Zainal, in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT, Friday (31/10/2025). The study was based on several official sources, including Decree on Data and Information of Business Activities Already Established in Forest Areas (SK DATIN) No. I–XXIII, recapitulation of land handover from Satgas PKH to Agrinas Palma, and internal reports from several palm companies.
Location Permits as Pretext for Reclamation
PUSTAKA ALAM explained that the modus operandi used by Satgas PKH in reclaiming land was to use company location permits as the basis for ownership claims. However, on many of these lands, community palm plantations had long been established and managed independently, even before the company location permits were issued. “Satgas PKH misinterpreted the essence of location permits. They treated location permits as if they were proof of corporate ownership, whereas permits are only for planning purposes,” said Zainal. He emphasized that in accordance with Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency Regulation No. 13 of 2021, holders of location permits or KKPR are still obligated to free the land from other parties' rights. “Satgas PKH equated location permits with concrete control on the ground, and this is what caused many community plantations to be swept up in their operations,” he added.
Community Land Swept Clean
In its field study, PUSTAKA ALAM found several real cases in several provinces. In Central Kalimantan, for example, in the PT UP area, there was reclamation of 571.47 hectares, all of which were community-owned plantations. In Riau, reclamation in the PT GH area covered 7,520.35 hectares, of which 7,402.35 hectares were farmers' land. Meanwhile, in the PT TP area, 5,716.3 hectares were reclaimed, with 4,003.31 hectares belonging to the community. Similar cases were found in PT TMP, with a total of 2,372.87 hectares, and 2,295.87 hectares were farmers' plantations. Even though companies have confirmed that some of these lands belong to independent farmers, Satgas PKH still included them as reclamation objects. “Signs on the ground list the company name, but community land was included in the Reclamation Minutes,” said Zainal.
Looming Social Conflicts
PUSTAKA ALAM warns that this policy has the potential to trigger horizontal conflicts in various regions, especially in Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Riau. Palm farmers, who have managed their plantations for years, now face harvesting activities by Agrinas Palma and government-appointed Operational Cooperation (KSO) partners. “We found practices of quick harvesting or hit-and-run by KSO partners guarded by security forces. The involvement of authorities in agrarian disputes like this creates power imbalances — farmers defending their land are considered illegal cultivators on their own land,” said Zainal. Furthermore, PUSTAKA ALAM views this policy as contrary to President Prabowo Subianto's commitment to protect small farmers. “What Satgas PKH is doing is contrary to the spirit of President Prabowo's administration. Instead of being protected, farmers are positioned as lawbreakers,” said Zainal. “This action has the potential to create a gap between the President and the people he wants to protect.”
Potential Fantastic Fines
In addition to social implications, this policy also has the potential to impose huge economic burdens on farmers. Based on Government Regulation No. 45 of 2025, unlicensed activities in forest areas can be fined up to Rp375 million per hectare. If 614,235 hectares of community land are categorized as such for 20 years, the total fine could reach Rp230.34 trillion. Concluding its study, PUSTAKA ALAM urges the President to evaluate the reclamation data reported by Satgas PKH and conduct re-verification of all data used. Community lands recorded as PKH objects, according to Zainal, must be immediately removed from the list. “The President needs to review this policy so it does not become a boomerang for the government itself,” he concluded. “Reclamation should be aimed at disciplining rogue corporations, not revoking the rights of farmers who have been the backbone of the national palm economy.” (T2)
