Indonesia designates protected agricultural zones in Bangka Belitung and Cirebon

Indonesian authorities are implementing measures to protect agricultural land from conversion to support food self-sufficiency. In Bangka Belitung, the Ministry of Agraria and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) has designated 22,436.24 hectares of paddy fields as Protected Paddy Field Areas (LSD) for 2026. This designation provides a national legal basis to prevent land use for non-agricultural activities, including mining.

In Cirebon Regency, the local government has proposed designating approximately 43,700 hectares of paddy fields as Sustainable Food Agricultural Land (LP2B). This represents about 87 percent of the regency's total paddy field area. The proposal follows a data cleansing process to exclude land already used for housing or currently undergoing permit processes. The Cirebon proposal is currently awaiting finalization from the Ministry of ATR/BPN.