Indonesia says 200,000 hectares of oil palm plantations to be turned into forests

Companies have to submit paperwork and pay fines to obtain cultivating rights on their plantation by Nov 2. - Reuters

JAKARTA (Reuters): Some 200,000 hectares (494,210 acres) of oil palm plantations found in areas designated as forests in Indonesia are expected to be returned to the state to be converted back into forests, a government official said late on Tuesday (Oct 31).

Indonesia, the world's biggest palm oil producer and exporter, issued rules in 2020 to sort out the legality of plantations operating in areas that are supposed to be forests, aimed at fixing governance in the sector.