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lack of available farming land has hindered the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) controversial plan to expand its role in the agriculture sector.

As a result, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, who is also a former TNI commander, has instructed local administrations to identify locations in border and remote areas where military personnel can be deployed to help develop the areas in question, including by engaging in farming and building the local economy.

“I only have a month [to finalize the plan] therefore what if [I give local leaders] a week [to identify the areas]?” Wiranto told representatives of various local administrations who attended the cross-sector meeting on border management on Tuesday.

Wiranto insisted local administrations should allocate land plots for the plan.

The TNI’s involvement in the agriculture sector began in 2015 when the force agreed to work with the Agriculture Ministry to establish 32,000 hectares of paddy fields in several regions.

On Monday, TNI Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo publicly asked President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to greenlight the TNI’s plan to expand its Center for Farmers Integrated Service (SP3T) program to other regions. The TNI’s move into farming has raised concerns over the possible return of the military’s supremacy over civilian affairs during the New Order era. Jokowi, a former governor with no military background, has yet to give a nod to the plan. Instead, he has given Wiranto and Gatot a month to further study the proposal.

But Wiranto claimed the implementation of the SP3T program in Jombang in East Java had improved farmers’ welfare and the government’s food sufficiency programs.

In the program, a company of soldiers was allowed to help locals managing several hectares of rice fields, from fertilizing, planting, harvesting and hulling until the production stage, he said.

However, Wiranto declined to reveal details of the plan nor comment on how deep the penetration by the military into civilian affairs would be. The retired general instead asserted that involvement by the military in the sector was necessary as the country faced non-traditional threats.

Concerns over the growing role of the TNI in civilian affairs were also raised last week when Jokowi called for the deployment of more military personnel to border and outer regions to build a stronger economy and defense.

A recent study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that a surplus of high-ranking TNI officers had led to them becoming involved civilian matters.

A 2015 report by a think-tank called the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) showed that the military had tried not only to expand its influence into civilian areas, but also to take back some powers from the police since Jokowi took office over two years ago.

Meanwhile, North Kalimantan Governor Irianto Lambrie expressed his readiness to support the plan. North Kalimantan was established in 2012, the newest province in the country, and borders with Malaysia.

National Border Management Agency (BNPP) acting secretary Hadi Prabowo, however, revealed that the reluctance of many military personnel to be assigned to outer regions was the main problem hindering the plan. Separately, lawmaker TB Hasanuddin of the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense said that although the law allowed the military to help local administrations, it would be better to first discuss the plan with the House to ensure the implementation of a transparent and clear mechanism.