A number of pepper farmers from Loeha and Ranteangin Villages took action at the PT Vale Indonesia Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGMS) at the Alila SCBD Hotel Jakarta on Friday 19 April 2024.
During the action, representatives of pepper farmers showed posters of demands in front of the meeting room which was currently taking place. They demanded that PT Vale Indonesia and its shareholders stop plans to expand the mine in the Tanamalia Block. Apart from that, they also demanded that PT Vale Indonesia remove the Tanamalia Block in Loeha and Ranteangin Villages from PT Vale Indonesia concession.
According to one farmer named Ali Kamri, the action he carried out with representatives of pepper farmers was aimed at demonstrating the demands of the Loeha community to PT Vale Indonesia’ shareholders. Because it has been more than a year and a half since the Loeha community has been demanding that PT Vale Indonesia not expand its mining activities to the Tanamalia Block, which is a pepper farming area and rainforest landscape.
“The community’s pressure and requests, especially pepper farmers in Loeha and Ranteangin, have been carried out since 2022. The community’s main request to PT Vale Indonesia is to remove the plantation block from the PT Vale Indonesia concession and stop nickel mining expansion in pepper plantations and rainforest ecosystems in Loeha Raya “
Ali Kamri, a Loeha Raya pepper farmer who came directly from South Sulawesi to Jakarta, said that the action they took was an action to save the rainforest ecosystem, water sources and sources of life for the people in Loeha Raya.
“We came from South Sulawesi to meet directly with PT Vale shareholders to convey farmers and women’s demands in Loeha Raya,” he said.
Apart from that, he also added that the Tanamalia Block or the location that will be mined by PT Vale Indonesia is productive land and the main source of livelihood in five villages. So if PT Vale Indonesia mines this area, not only will thousands of farmers suffer, but tens of thousands of farm workers and traders in Loeha Raya will fall into poverty and live in misery.
“Not only is it productive land and a source of livelihood for tens of thousands of people, Tanamalia is also our forest ecosystem and source of clean water. Therefore, we only have one demand, namely to remove the Tanamalia Block from the PT Vale Indonesia Concession,” he explained.
Loeha farmers’ demand action at PT Vale’s Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGMS) took place peacefully. The action took place from 03.00 to 05.00 in the afternoon. Apart from that, several PT Vale Indonesia shareholders who were present and saw the action of the Loeha farmers also provided support and encouragement to Ali Kamri and other farmers.
Not only that, the Director of WALHI South Sulawesi, Muhammad Al Amin, was also present at the action.
