Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian is encouraging regional governments to revise their Regional Spatial Planning (RTRW) regulations to prevent the conversion of agricultural land.The central government will also establish a cross-ministerial task force to oversee the regional RTRW revision process. This task force will involve the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), and the Ministry of Agriculture.
"Following up, we will form a task force to encourage regions to revise their spatial planning regulations (RTRW) to protect rice fields and prepare existing agricultural land," Tito said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
This step is considered important to maintain national food sustainability and prevent rice fields from being further eroded by development.
The Minister of Home Affairs also emphasized that the BIG will conduct regular monitoring and verification of the regional RTRW revision process. Regional governments that demonstrate good performance will receive fiscal incentives starting next year.
"We will evaluate monthly or quarterly. Regions that perform well will receive rewards in the form of fiscal incentives from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The budget is already available," he said.
The Minister of Home Affairs' policy received support from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) Soil Science Expert Basuki Sumawinata.
"I think Home Minister Tito's idea is very good," Basuki said when contacted on Friday.
He believes that protecting agricultural land is the key to the success of food security, which is part of President Prabowo's Asta Cita program.
However, Basuki cautioned that RTRW revisions must be carried out carefully and still take into account regional government aspirations to ensure effective implementation. Without considering regional input, restructuring the regional RTRW to prevent agricultural land conversion will be difficult to achieve.
Basuki stated that regional General Spatial Plans (RUTR) cannot be separated from the National General Spatial Plan (RUTRN), as stipulated in Government Regulation Number 26 of 2008 concerning National Spatial Planning. This means that regional governments cannot change spatial plans beyond national regulations.
"The PP already contains a national spatial pattern map, and it stipulates that regional RUTRs refer to the RUTRN map. Therefore, regions cannot create cultivation areas in their RUTRs larger than those planned in the RUTRN. Also, it's impossible to shrink protected areas to expand cultivation areas," Basuki said.