The PDI-P lent its voice on Tuesday to mounting criticism of the controversial agricultural project, saying it was an “environmental crime” to deforest such a large amount of land only to fail to properly cultivate it.

“In practice, the policy turned out to be misapplied,” PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto said. “Forests were cut down, and the food estate was not developed properly.”

The party said that while it supported Jokowi’s plan to decrease the country’s dependence on imports of staple foods, it was concerned about maladministration in the program.

“There was a conflict of interest. One example is the involvement of PT Agrinas in the project, which is comprised of friends [and members] of political parties who should not interfere in the use of the state budget,” Hasto said.

He was referring to PT Agro Industri Nasional, which is owned by a non-profit foundation under the Defense Ministry.

Read also: Three years on, the food estate fails to deliver: Study

Jokowi announced the food estate program in 2020 when the country was experiencing the fallout of a global food crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aimed to curb Indonesia’s reliance on food imports.

Authorities planned to convert large swaths of land in Kalimantan, Sumatra, Papua and Nusa Tenggara into plantations to grow rice, cassava and other staple foods.

Jokowi appointed Defense Minister Prabowo, instead of the agriculture minister, to oversee the project, claiming it was strategically significant for national defense.

Soon, the feasibility of the project came into doubt, as much of the land slated for the program was nutrient-poor and included peat bogs.

An investigation by The Gecko Project and Tempo published in 2021 found evidence that the Defense Ministry made efforts to help PT Agrinas obtain contracts for the development of the food estate project, potentially worth billions of United States dollars. The company had no discernible track record of developing agricultural plantations.

Agrinas is supported by several retired and active top-ranking military officers, the report found, raising questions of conflicts of interest.

Collective efforts

Prabowo declined to answer reporters’ questions on the subject on multiple occasions this week.

Gerindra Party secretary-general Ahmad Muzani denied accusations that Prabowo had sought to privately benefit from the project, saying the defense minister “was carrying out the program of President Jokowi and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin’s administration”.

The PDI-P’s criticism comes amid speculation that Jokowi favors Prabowo as his presidential successor over his fellow PDI-P member and presidential nominee Ganjar Pranowo.

Read also: Explainer: All you need to know about the govt’s food estates

Responding to the PDI-P’s criticism, President Jokowi dismissed the suggestion that the program was under the control of a certain group within the government. He asserted that the food estate was the work of several ministries, including the Agriculture Ministry, Public Works and Housing Ministry and Defense Ministry.

Jokowi acknowledged the difficulties the project had encountered and said his administration would evaluate its shortcomings.

“It’s not as easy as we imagined, so everything will be repaired, evaluated, corrected and repeated,” Jokowi said on Friday. “If we’re not brave enough to try [and we] back off after the first failure, then the project will be history.”