Jokowi wants Indonesia to copy Norway`s forestry policy

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope that the Indonesia would develop its forestry development policy similar to Norway.

"Norway has huge mining reserves, but the country, in fact, just develops its forest, from which they earn huge per capita income," Jokowi stated, while visiting the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) here, on Tuesday.

Norway has become a rich country thanks to forestry products, despite its limited land area, he noted.

"How do they become rich just from forestry products?" he asked.

He explained that Norway has been successful in forestry development because the nation has carried out detailed initiatives in its forestry management, from planting and maintenance to its product management.

" Everything is carried out in detail. This is what we have not done so far," he pointed out.

In Indonesia, many fertile land areas are abandoned, he added.

"There are plenty of abandoned land areas, from those on Rote Island to Miangas. There are too many abandoned and unattended land areas," he explained.

The Indonesian Government has spent trillions of rupiahs for forestry development. "Bu still there is no successful forestry development project," he added.

The president, however, lauded the UGM for successfully implementing 112 ha-"Wanagama" forestry conservation and development project in Gunung Kidul.

"Only Wanagama forest has been successfully reforested. It means that we actually could develop forest such as Wanagama because the forestry ministry budget is huge," he elaborated