An Evaluation of Possible Sugarcane Plantations Expansion Areas in Lamongan, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Sugar is a significant commodity for Indonesia because the need for sugar reaches 7 million tons. Meanwhile, imports from Thailand, Australia, and Brazil were approximately 5.54 million tons in 2020. Sugarcane and sugar production in East Java province is also supported by Lamongan Regency. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the possible sugarcane plantation expansion areas in Lamongan. The evaluation process carried out in this study was an analysis of land suitability using the analytic network process (ANP) and land availability using an overlay analysis of several policy maps. Three parameters with the highest weight of the ANP were soil drainage (0.181), cation exchange capacity and base saturation (0.134), and rainfall (0.133). The total possible area for sugarcane plantations expansion in Lamongan was 32,552.37 ha and the largest class was Possible Area 2 (65.67%). The three sub-districts with the highest possible areas include Solokuro, Ngimbang, and Mantup. We recommend that the government and stakeholders extend the area allocated to sugarcane plantations in Lamongan because the possible expansion areas are still more than 30 ha, while in the 2011–2031 spatial plan they were only 8927 ha. Expansion plans must take into consideration other uses such as residence, industry, food crops, and protected areas.