Notes on Discussion of the Parties with Kemenyan Farmers Huta Aek Nauli
Tuesday, March 9, 2021, is the day that dozens of incense farmers have been waiting for in Huta Aek Nauli, Pollung District, Humbang Hasundutan Regency. So far, the various information that is confusing about KHDTK in the spear of their Haminjon (incense forest) has been worrying. Some incense farmers in Huta Aek Nauli reported to the Village Head of Aek Nauli I, that in their incense forest a sign was attached, in their term a boundary that reads DEL and FE. They assumed that DEL poultices were for KHDTK and FE for Food Estate. The existence of this boundary creates a feeling of discomfort.
Departing from this concern, Pak Amal Lumbangaol, the Village Head of Aek Nauli I, initiated a meeting this afternoon by inviting the parties. Meanwhile, those who represented KPH 13, Pak Fidelis Silalahi and Roi Lumban Tobing, represented IT DEL, and Halomoan Manullang represented the Humbang Hasundutan Regency Government.
The staff representing KPH 13 explained what KHDTK meant. Whereas KHDTK is a forest area whose status is state forest based on SK 579 which was renewed to SK 8088. However, this area can be developed into an area for research, development of herbal and cultural plants.
“IT DEL is the manager of KHDTK covering an area of 500 hectares which was previously a TPL concession area. The management of KHDTK is based on Permen LHK Number 15 of 2018, and it is the Ministry of LHK, not the Forestry Service and KPH 13. The presence of KPH 13 only helps the boundary demarcation process because it is in the Pollung area, ”explained Pak Pakpahan.
Roy Lumban Tobing, a lecturer from IT DEL explained that DEL is an educational institution, not a company, which has a research program. “It turns out that there is a certain area management scheme for research purposes. After studying the scheme, DEL made a proposal to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for R&D purposes. But in its management, even though it gets 500 hectares, according to the rules, DEL can only use 10% to build supporting facilities such as offices, demonstration plots, roads and others, “he explained.
“We will not cut down the forest, we are even obliged to revitalize the forest. IT DEL is given a mandate of 500 hectares, in which around 500 hectares there are around 118 hectares of incense forest. So we are side by side with the community incense forest, ”he added.
Currently, based on Roy Lumban Tobing’s explanation, it is already at the KHDTK Boundary Layout stage. The demarcation is carried out outside and inside the KHDTK which intersects 118 hectares of incense forest. So that there is a boundary pal that enters the community’s incense land. “But we don’t take the incense forest”, he said.
“Actually, after the creation of the boundary pal, we plan to conduct outreach, but currently the Village Head has asked us to attend. Later we will hold a socialization. We need information about the farmers who own the 118 hectares of incense so that when we pass the KHDTK to enter the incense forest we know who entered there, ”he explained.
“Through this discussion, I hope that the people who are present can help us explain the developing issue, that we are not taking the incense land, but managing the former TPL concession. And we can only use 10% and the rest will be revitalized, ”he pleaded.
Pak Roy’s explanation was added by Pak Silalahi, his colleague at IT DEL who in the KHDTK project was the Chair of the Boundary Delineation Committee.
“We have a boundary demarcation mechanism, there are rules that regulate why we are given permission to manage it. There is an environmental study. The implementation of our boundaries has started on December 16, 2020, the rules have been completed at least in late December or January. However, because the weather finally retreated. All boundary palettes have been installed based on applicable regulations. Already coordinated with the Pollung sub-district head, where at the time of demarcation two of his staff accompanied him, KPH 13 was also present, there was the Provincial Forestry Service, and BPKH for the Medan area. It’s according to the rules. Don’t get penalized, we don’t grab the land. All of us people living in forest areas can improve welfare. There are 118 hectares of incense forest that will not be contested. If there is a felling of 100 incense trees on social media, it is a big hoax, ”he explained.
“If we look, maybe when we put it there, the stem is cut, so the sap will come out. But there are no 100 sticks, how about cutting 100 sticks? It’s hard work. Please, ladies and gentlemen, if there is such news, which may have specific purposes, we will explain. We do R&D. And it is in accordance with the provisions of the regulations and is supervised by the related service offices. And the Sub-district office staff saw that the installation of boundary bars had gone through a regulation or a mechanism. The number of pal limit is 330, so if someone accidentally gets an incense, it is not intended to damage it, ”he explained again.
After the explanation from IT DEL, the Village Head then explained about the community’s complaint regarding the food estate boundary. “There is also a border related to the Food Estate, where it is written that it is prohibited to enter the state forest of the Food Estate area in Dolok Ginjang and KHDTK IT DEL, so there are two signs in the incense forest. How is this?” asked the village head.
KPH 13 explained “Regarding FE is a central program, to strengthen Indonesian food. Food security can be in forest areas which are planned to be released. Can forest areas in Production Forest Areas that are converted. If it is to be released, its function will be changed to a new Production Forest to become APL, then it will be allocated for food estate. There are around 3000 hectares, if I can’t go wrong here. This is the demarcation of forest areas, conversion production forest areas that will be released. Now the question is whether if removed, the incense tree can be preserved or cut or what. However, that is not our capacity to answer because it only helps define boundaries. The regency knows what to do there later. “
Hearing the explanation from IT DEL and KPH 13, Pak Sinaga again asked for confirmation that the 500 hectare KHDTK was a eucalyptus. “If 500 hectares of eucalypts become KHDTK, why did Pal enter our incense? That means they don’t know which 118 hectares of incense forest? ”Asked Mr. Sinaga.
Responding to a question from Mr. Sinaga, the IT DEL representative explained that 118 hectares was not the KHDTK management area. “The incense forest is inside, if you want to go to the incense garden you have to go through the KHDTK”, replied Mr. Roi while showing the shape of the 118 hectare location of the incense location in the middle of KHDTK.
Mr. Sinaga again asked that if there are 500 hectares of KHDTK, and 118 hectares of it are managed by incense farmers, why do so many PAL enter the incense forest. Responding to an incense farmer’s question, Pak Silalahi from IT DEL said that it is necessary to have discussions with the community, to identify who owns the 118 hectares. DEL will not destroy the incense and cannot change what is in the KHDTK area except to build on the site 10% open eucalyptus space.
“We will identify who the farmer on the 118 hectare land is, because we also need to know later, who can go inside, if the incense farmers pass by we will allow it, but not other people. Because inside there are facilities, “he added.
Delima Silalahi from KSPPM suggested that the government must be transparent in developing KHDTK. “First, it needs to be transparent from the start, which one is 500 hectares. Is that all eucalyptus true. Or within 500 hectares there is a farmer’s incense garden. And what stage is the current process, if there is a boundary arrangement, is there an official report on boundaries. The community, especially the owner of the incense, must know this. Second, how will it be managed in the future, how is public access. It is written in black and white, so that no one is threatened in the future, ”said Delima.
Halomoan Manullang, representing the Humbang Hasundutan Regency Government from the Environmental Service, explained that the Humbang Hasundutan Regency Government will not torment the community. He also explained the benefits of KHDTK in Humbang Hasundutan as a place to research all Indonesian herbal plants for the development of international scale medicines and also a place for the emergence of superior seed seeds for horticulture. “Molo mardalan dohot with tu hita sude (if it goes well, it will be good for all of us)”, he added.
Pak Halomoan explained that the origin of the KHDTK was a State Forest Area, either the concession of PT. TPL and community incense forest. That is why the community cannot take care of the certificate because its status is a State Forest Zone.
“Legally, this belongs to the state, but defacto you are trying to do this. There is no intention of the government to expel you from there, “he said.
“When making the KHDTK plot, we saw through the station there was an incense forest covering an area of 118 hectares, we did not add this to the KHDTK. We can’t disturb the people’s incense, don’t develop this village later, but you are trampled and you don’t eat. Humbang Hasundutan district government really cares about this and knows you live from there, ”he explained again.
The role of IT DEL is also explained as a coordinator, but those who work at KHDTK will be all well-known campuses in Indonesia, not only IT DEL. KHDTK will cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture, KLHK and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and investment.
Regarding the problem of entering PAL into the incense field and the destruction of some of the frankincense plants at the time of making the boundary pal, this is not an intentional factor, and it can be communicated later. However, Halomoan guarantees that in the future there will be no damage to the incense. Except maybe when the road builder is 12 meters wide, there will be trees being cut down, but this can be discussed carefully with the manager.
Regarding the existence of a written agreement, Halomoan also said it was impossible to do, because it was impossible for KHDTK to make a written agreement with the incense farmer community.
In the discussion process with the incense farmers, it was agreed that on 500 hectares of land where incense forest was still found, it would be identified during the inventory and identification stages which would be carried out by DEL and the team by involving the Huta Aek Nauli community. The farmers of the incense are still not willing if their forest of incense is included in the KHDTK, and must be expelled from the KHDTK. At the invitation of the incense farmers, also attended the KSPPM and AMAN Tano Batak discussion. *** (KSPPM-AMAN Tano Batak Advocacy Study Team)
