Jakarta, Feb. 3 -- President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, to revoke the forest utilization business permits (PBPH) of 18 companies for failing to use the permits after issuance.

"Those companies have not utilized the permits, meanwhile the President wanted forest utilization to be maximized," the minister said after attending a meeting with the President at the Presidential Palace Complex on Monday.

He informed that the forest area extends from Aceh to Papua, totaling 526,144 hectares.

According to him, some of the 18 companies were granted the PBPH in 1997 and 1998, and some in 2006 and 2010.

Before revoking the permit, his ministry followed several processes, such as questioning their perm...