212 Agrarian Conflicts in 2022, Most Numerous in the Plantation Sector

Based on a report by the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), there were 212 agrarian conflicts in Indonesia throughout 2022.

This number represents a 2.36% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the 207 cases recorded in the previous year.

All agrarian conflicts in Indonesia in 2022 involved 1.03 million hectares (ha) of land and affected 346,402 households (KK) spread across 459 villages/cities.

The majority of agrarian conflicts in 2022 occurred in the plantation sector (99 cases), covering 377,190 ha and impacting 141,001 KK. Of these, 80 cases involved palm oil plantations.

"The high number of agrarian conflicts in the plantation and palm oil business sectors is a classic problem that the government has yet to solve. The main obstacle is that the palm oil business remains a government favorite in boosting the national economy," wrote the KPA in its report.

Agrarian conflicts also frequently occurred in the infrastructure development sector (32 cases), affecting 102,750 ha and 28,795 KK. These conflicts stemmed from projects such as tourism development, dam construction, toll roads, power plants, and public facilities.

There were also 26 agrarian conflict cases in the property sector, involving 4,570 ha and affecting 15,957 KK.

"Conflicts in this sector (property) are dominated by government claims on land and settlements, with 13 such conflicts. Furthermore, there were 8 conflicts between communities and housing developers," explained the KPA in its report.

Additional agrarian conflict cases occurred in the mining sector (21 cases), forestry (20 cases), military facilities (6 cases), agriculture (4 cases), and coastal and small island areas (4 cases).

Geographically, the highest number of agrarian conflicts occurred in West Java (22 cases), North Sumatra (22 cases), East Java (13 cases), and West Kalimantan (13 cases).

(See also: Conflict over the Relocation of Rempang Residents: What are the Views of Other Communities?)