KLHK: Mentawir Maize Facilities In IKN Financing IDR 330 Billion

The ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet (KIM) posed in the National Capital Archipelago Embung (IKN) area, East Kalimantan, Monday (12/8/2024). (ANTARA/Mentari Dwi Gayati)

KALTIM - Minister of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Siti Nurbaya said the Mentawir nursery facility in the Nusantara Capital (IKN) area, East Kalimantan, involved funds of around Rp330 billion for the needs of plant seed production. "All the funds are Rp330 billion, the funds are from the Ministry of PUPR Rp140 billion, the rest is business participation. So the concept is public private partnership, but we receive the goods, buildings," he said at IKN, Antara, Monday, August 12. He explained that his ministry acts as a support for the project, focusing on producing plant seeds to green IKN, especially Kalimantan. This year, they have produced 16 million seeds, with six million seeds have been produced and nearly four million of them have been distributed. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry is also committed to restoring the tropical forest of Kalimantan and supporting the bird ecosystem by planting various types of trees, including fruit trees and ornamental plants, such as tabebuya. "The concept is to restore the tropical forest of Kalimantan, but while re-lifting the bird ecosystem so that there are fruit trees as well, then there are also many ornamental plants, there are tabebuya, there are various things," he said. The Mentawir Machining Facility, which is about 40 minutes from the National Axis of IKN, has officially been operating since Tuesday (4/6), after being inaugurated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). In that place, there were endemic Kalimantan tree seedlings, such as meranti, limestone, tengkawang, ulin, bangkilai, and there were also Jambu-jambuan seeds that would be planted at several points for animal food. In addition, there is a nutfah plasma center in the Mentawir Nursery for biodiversity conservation needs. Biobanks and the seeds of banks in the nurse will store important plant seeds, such as shorea and Dryobalanops, which are increasingly difficult to find in the wild.

President Jokowi emphasized the importance of nurseries as a basis for reforestation of IKN and the East Kalimantan region and its surroundings.