Indonesia passes agrarian reform law to tackle land conflicts

Indonesia's parliament passed a law on Tuesday aimed at resolving land conflicts across the country, establishing a government body under the president to carry out agrarian reform.

Speaking at a streamed hearing, lawmaker Iman Sukri said the legislation sets out agrarian reform priorities to address inequality in land ownership and control, agrarian conflicts, abandoned land and poverty. The new agency will report to the president and will be responsible for land planning, land monitoring and resolving agrarian conflicts, he said.

The law also seeks to ensure more equal distribution of land ownership by limiting the size of holdings. Iman said it "answers the roots of agrarian inequality that has not been resolved completely."

Agrarian affairs minister Nusron Wahid told the same hearing that the government will formulate technical details, including maximum and minimum limits on land ownership. He said the government hopes that with a stronger legal foundation, small farmers, fishermen, Indigenous people and disenfranchised communities can feel the state's presence through a just agrarian reform.

Land disputes in Indonesia often stem from overlapping claims over forest areas, state assets and private land, frequently involving local communities, private companies and state-owned firms, Nusron has said.

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the seizure of land from miners and companies that authorities said violated forest utilisation rules.