Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Siti Nurbaya stated that funds of around Rp330 billion (US$20.6 million) were channeled for the Mentawir Nursery Facility in Nusantara Capital City (IKN), East Kalimantan, to produce plant seeds.
"The total funds are around Rp330 billion, (while) the funds from the PUPR Ministry are around Rp140 billion, (and) the rest is participation from the business world," Nurbaya remarked in IKN on Monday.
The minister noted that the concept is based on a public-private partnership, but the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) will receive the goods and the building. She explained that the ministry plays a supporting role in the project, with focus on producing plant seeds to planting plants in IKN, especially Kalimantan.
This year, they have produced 16 million seeds, with six million seeds having been produced and almost four million of them having been distributed. The ministry is also committed to restoring Kalimantan's tropical forests and supporting bird ecosystems by planting various types of trees, including fruit trees and ornamental plants, such as "tabebuya" (trumpet trees).
"The concept is to restore the tropical forests of Kalimantan while restoring the bird ecosystem so that there are fruit trees too. There are then also many ornamental plants. There are 'tabebuya' and many various kinds," she stated.
The Mentawir Nursery Facility, located about 40 minutes from the National Axis of IKN, has been officially operating since June 4 after President Joko Widodo inaugurated it. In the nursery facility, there are endemic Kalimantan tree seedlings, such as "meranti" (Shorea), "kapur" (Camphor), "tengkawang" (Borneo tallow nut), "ulin" (Bornean ironwood), "bangkirai", and also guava seedling that will be planted at several spots for animal food.
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In addition, the germplasm center at the Mentawir Nursery will cater to the needs of biodiversity conservation. The biobank and seed bank in the nursery will store important plant seeds, such as shorea and dryobalanops, which are increasingly difficult to find in the wild.
The president emphasized the importance of the nursery as a foundation for re-greening IKN and the East Kalimantan region and its surroundings.
