On the edges of Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru, the land that looks most reasonably priced is often a sawah (rice field). It sits near the road, the plot is generous, and the seller assures you it only needs filling before you build.

The catch is that not every rice field may become a house. Some are protected by national law and the local spatial plan, and a valid certificate doesn’t change that.

This guide is for anyone thinking of buying a rice field to build on, to split into plots, or to keep farming. It explains how to check whether the land is protected, and what to budget for if it can be converted.

Why rice fields on the edge of town look cheap

Rice fields usually sit lower than the road, are wet, and aren’t ready to build on. They look cheap because the cost of making them buildable hasn’t been counted yet.

There is a bigger reason too: some rice fields simply can’t be used for housing. If you don’t check that status, a cheap price can turn into land you can’t use for what you planned.

General points about buying land in this province, from swamps to certificates, are covered in tips for buying land in South Kalimantan.

What LP2B and LSD mean

Law No. 41 of 2009 governs Lahan Pertanian Pangan Berkelanjutan (LP2B, land designated for sustainable food farming). Land designated as LP2B is protected from alih fungsi, meaning conversion from food farmland to another use such as housing.

The Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning (ATR/BPN) also maps Lahan Sawah yang Dilindungi (LSD, protected rice fields) in a number of provinces. Ask whether that map applies in the regency where your field lies.

Which plots are protected is set in the local spatial plan and regional regulations. So the answer can differ from one regency to the next, and even from one stretch of fields to the stretch next to it. The status can also change when a spatial plan is revised, so make sure you are looking at the version in force today.

What protection means in practice

Protection doesn’t remove ownership. The field can still carry a freehold certificate, and it can still be sold as a rice field.

What is restricted is its use:

  • No permit for housing. A KKPR (the spatial use conformity approval) and a PBG (the building approval) for a house can’t be issued if the spatial plan sets the land aside for farming.
  • No splitting into house plots. A plan to divide the field into house plots for sale runs into the same status.
  • Hard to resell as building land. The next buyer will hit the same problem you did.

So a Sertifikat Hak Milik (SHM, the strongest freehold title) proves who owns the land, not what may be built on it.

How to check the status

Do these checks before you pay any deposit:

  • Look at the spatial plan on GISTARU, the ATR/BPN online spatial plan map. See whether the plot falls in a farming zone or a housing zone in the RTRW (the regional spatial plan) or the RDTR (the detailed spatial plan).
  • Ask the regency or city spatial planning office or Dinas PUPR. Request a KRK (Keterangan Rencana Kota/Kabupaten, a planning statement for the plot) where available, which states what may be built there.
  • Ask the agriculture office whether the plot is designated LP2B.
  • Ask the Kantor Pertanahan (land office) whether the plot is on the LSD map, and whether a split or a change of land use can be processed.
  • Look around you. Working irrigation channels and fields that are still planted are a sign to check more carefully.

Note the name of the official and the date of every answer, or ask for it in writing. A spoken answer is hard to rely on if a problem comes up later.

How to read a spatial plan in full is covered in how to check zoning before you buy land.

Filled in doesn’t mean buildable

Sellers sometimes say, “It’s been filled in, so it isn’t a rice field any more.”

A plot’s status follows the spatial plan and the government’s designation, not its physical state today. A field designated as protected keeps that status even under a layer of fill as high as the fence.

Filling protected land can also cause legal trouble for the owner. If you buy land that has already been filled, you buy that trouble along with it.

Ask the seller for written proof: a KKPR, a KRK, or a statement from the relevant office that the land may be used for building. If the seller can only give you a spoken answer, treat the status as unclear.

If the field isn’t protected

If your checks show the field isn’t protected and its zone allows houses, there are still costs to count before you make an offer.

  • Filling. Rice fields usually sit below road level. Work out the fill volume from the area and the height of fill, plus shrinkage as it is compacted. The method is in buying filled land.
  • The mud layer. Soft paddy mud should be removed or dealt with before filling, so the ground doesn’t keep sinking for years.
  • Settling time. Fresh fill needs time and compaction before it is safe to build on.
  • Drainage. Don’t block irrigation channels or the flow of water to your neighbours’ fields. Build your own drains so rainwater doesn’t pond on your land or end up on theirs.
  • Foundations. Soft ground needs stronger foundations, and an uji sondir (a cone penetration test) shows how much load the soil can bear.
  • Permits. You still need a suitable KKPR and a PBG before you build.

These costs can make a field that looked cheap end up dearer than dry land that is ready to build on. Compare the totals rather than the land prices alone.

If you are buying to farm

Not every rice field buyer wants to build. If you plan to keep the field planted, the questions are different:

  • Water. Where does it come from: irrigation, the tides, or rain alone? Is there enough in the planting season?
  • Flooding. Does the area often go under in the rainy season, and has a harvest ever been lost to floods?
  • Access. Can a hand tractor and harvesting machines get in, and how is the crop taken out?
  • The farmer. Who works the field now, and under what arrangement? Settle the old arrangement clearly before you buy.
  • Where the owner lives. There are rules on owning farmland when the owner lives outside the subdistrict (kecamatan) where it lies, often called tanah absentee. Ask the PPAT (the official who draws up land deeds) whether this affects your purchase.

Harvests and the price of unhusked rice change from season to season. Base your numbers on several seasons, not on one good harvest.

Next steps

  1. Ask for copies of the certificate and the SPPT PBB (the annual land and building tax bill), and note where the plot lies.
  2. Check the zone on GISTARU, then confirm it with the spatial planning office, the agriculture office and the Kantor Pertanahan.
  3. Ask the seller for written proof if they say the land may be built on.
  4. If it may, count the cost of fill, drainage and foundations before you make an offer.

Land currently listed in Banjar Regency is on land for sale in Banjar.