Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) is a project for use of a big area for industry and also

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

and

food crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponic ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

Merauke Regency Merauke Regency is a regency in the far south of the Indonesian province of South Papua. It covers an area of 46,791.63 km2, and had a population of 195,716 at the 2010 Census and 230,932 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2 ...

South Papua South Papua, officially the South Papua Province ( id, Provinsi Papua Selatan), is an Indonesian province located in the southern portion of Papua, following the borders of Papuan customary region of Anim Ha. Formally established on 11 November 2 ...

province. In 2010, up to 90% of the area was still covered by natural forest. The MIFEE project is expected to cover a 1.2 million hectare area, or a quarter of Merauke. The presence of a large number of army units in the MIFEE area, which testifies the role of the military in protecting the interests of foreign investors against the local population. There is a major involvement of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n agribusiness conglomerates. MIFEE involves

land grabbing Land grabbing is the contentious issue of large-scale land acquisitions: the buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and transnational companies, governments, and individuals. While used broadly throughout history, land grabbing as ...

. There is much indigenous opposition to the MIFEE project. The project threatens conservation areas, such as virgin forests and water catchment areas, as well as the habitat of indigenous peoples in Papua. There were substantial forest fires. MIFEE is valued at approximately $5 billion and aims to dramatically increase agricultural output. Damage to the natural environment caused by the industrial activities of agribusinesses and palm oil plantations has severely affected the health and food security of these indigenous groups. The migrants involved in the project will dwarf Merauke's indigenous population. Violence was used for land ownership. MIFEE involves intensive land clearing. It is likely to increase marginalization of traditional communities. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called for a suspension of the project, until there is a free, informed consent by the indigenous population.

References

Palm oil production in Indonesia Agriculture in Indonesia {{SPapua-geo-stub