InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA — The issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 5/2025 marks a significant shift in Indonesia’s approach to enforcing forest-zone regulations. The policy seeks to strengthen the implementation of Articles 110A and 110B of the Forestry Law (as revised under the Job Creation Law) and complements Government Regulation No. 24/2021, which governs administrative sanctions in the forestry sector.
To operationalize the new regulation, the government has formed a Forest-Zone Enforcement Task Force comprising policymakers, field implementers, and an ex-officio secretariat from the Attorney General’s Office. The task force may also convene expert groups—from academia, civil society, and industry—to refine on-the-ground policy assessments. Interestingly, its internal working procedures are not detailed in the regulation but will be determined later by the Attorney General.
However, the task force’s recent actions—particularly the seizure and sealing of oil palm plantations alleged to be operating without permits—have sparked controversy. Critics argue that such measures may violate procedures mapped out in Forestry Law No. 41/1999, especially if the land in question has not gone through the formal forest-zone designation process. While the regulation allows the use of dwangsom (coercive fines) and bestuursdwang (administrative enforcement), it does not authorize seizure or sealing, which fall under criminal jurisdiction.
The criticism extends to the legal hierarchy. As a presidential regulation, Perpres 5/2025 sits below laws and government regulations. Yet, neither Government Regulation 24/2021 nor Government Regulation 43/2021 on the resolution of spatial and forest-zone discrepancies authorizes such punitive measures. As a result, the task force could face challenges at the Administrative Court (PTUN) or through an Onrechtmatige Overheidsdaad claim—alleging unlawful conduct by the authorities.
While the regulatory debate intensifies, Indonesia’s palm oil sector is undergoing a transformation of its own. The emergence of Palm Oil 4.0 reflects rapid technological integration across the supply chain. Precision agriculture, IoT sensors, AI-driven analytics, drones, blockchain traceability, and cloud-based operations are reshaping plantation management and mill productivity.
Real-time monitoring tools allow plantation managers to track soil, weather, and crop conditions with unprecedented accuracy. Drones have become essential for mapping, spraying, and even harvest surveillance. At the mill level, IoT-enabled predictive maintenance systems—such as SCADA—have boosted efficiency by up to 28%.
These developments are explored in detail through the industry’s latest analysis in the October edition of InfoSAWIT. (T2)
