JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called on all related parties, including provincial governors, to help farmers acquire equipment such as excavators and tractors to ensure that they do not resort to the slash-and-burn method when clearing plantation land.
“Let’s change the mindset of our farmers, who for long decades have cleared lands by burning, to (shift to) using tractors and excavators without creating fire,” Joko said in a speech yesterday at the presidential palace that was attended by local elected leaders, police and military chiefs from provinces prone to forest fires.