Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 05:31 PM UTC

Indonesian govt to enlist nearly 500 firms to fight Kalimantan fires

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Aria Ananda, Uyu Liman

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs plans to enlist nearly 500 businesses in Central Kalimantan to help local governments and agencies fight recurring forest and land fires.

Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the initiative would focus on plantation and forestry concessionaires with heavy equipment, operational capacity and personnel for ground firefighting.

“Today, we are mobilizing nearly 500 businesses in Central Kalimantan,” Nurofiq said after an inter-agency wildfire coordination meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

Mobilizing private businesses is crucial to making up for equipment and personnel shortages faced by local authorities, Nurofiq said.

The government has identified high-risk areas for joint action, particularly the provincial capital of Palangka Raya and Pulang Pisau District.

Teams will assess the sites, map hotspot clusters, check canal and road access, and identify water sources to determine the resources and firefighting methods needed.

Nurofiq said the model was used in South Kalimantan, where about 350 companies supported efforts to address fire risks across 10,000 hectares of farmland and peatland alongside local governments, the military, police and community groups.

Participating concessionaires are encouraged to fight fires beyond their concessions, provided this does not undermine their legal obligation to prevent and manage fires within their boundaries.

Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) Chairman Eddy Martono said the group had instructed member companies to inspect firefighting equipment, remain on high alert and monitor satellite-detected hotspots reported by the Ministry of Forestry.

While palm oil companies are willing to fight fires beyond their concessions, Martono urged the government to provide proportional legal protection for companies offering voluntary emergency assistance.

Echoing the sentiment, Indonesian Forest Concessionaires Association (APHI) Chairman Soewarso said forestry businesses were also ready to help.

However, access to water, adequate firefighting equipment and reliable fuel supplies remain major constraints, particularly for rewetting dried peatlands.

Alongside private-sector efforts, the Ministry of Forestry scheduled cloud-seeding operations in Central Kalimantan for October 15-16, 2026, with aircraft departing from Banjarmasin because haze had reduced visibility at airports across the province.

Nurofiq said cross-sector cooperation was vital to combat wildfires in national strategic areas, protect regional economic activity and support Indonesia's food, water and energy security goals.

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