AGRIBUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY CRUCIAL TO IMPROVE FARMERS' WELFARE by Fardah

   Jakarta, Sept 14, 2017 (Antara) - In farming, availability of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides are basic needs, but it takes more than those to improve the welfare of farmers.

         For efficiency and profit making, farmers need to be supported by appropriate agricultural technology and agribusiness.

         Therefore, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called for a paradigm change in the national agriculture policy to increase farmers' profit margins through agribusiness process.    
     Out of his concern for farmers' welfare and food resilience, the Head of State chaired a limited cabinet meeting to discuss the agricultural sector at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Sept 12, 2017.

        Among those present at the meeting were Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Layout/Chief of the National Land Agency Sofyan Djalil, Minister of National Development Planning/Chief of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro, East Java Governor Sukarwo, and Central Java Governor Gandjar Pranowo.     
   The meeting also outlined a number of steps to improve farmers' welfare.

         "We forget the fact that farmers can obtain large profit actually from agribusiness process rather than from the farming sector. Once again, the high value added rests with the agribusiness process," he stated.

           According to the president, Indonesia must change the paradigm if it wants to increase profit  of farmers. They must enter the business sector, the agribusiness sector in particular.

         The paradigm includes the need to encourage and support farmers to develop their own seed industry and modern production applications.

           In recent times, it is not difficult to have modern rice mills if banks support the farmers based on feasible calculation, he remarked.

           Therefore, earlier Dr Iwan Riswandi, M.Si, deputy director for human resources affairs of the Development Cooperation Unit of the Bogor University of Agriculture (IPB)¿s Non-Degree Program, stated that he favored IPB graduates joining state-owned companies, particularly the banking sector.

          Most of the country's farmers are not rich, and they need funds to manage their farming lands.

         Only IPB graduates could understand the needs of farmers, and they would be willing to channel funds or credits for farmers if they join banks, he noted.

        Besides, some 87 percent of alumni of the Bogor University of Agriculture (IPB) have been engaged in agricultural technology.

        Based on IPB's data, the university produced 6,773 bachelors in 2015, and 79.20 percent of the graduates worked in accordance with their majors, a spokesman of IPB revealed in a statement, recently.

        Some 87 percent of the IPB alumni worked in agricultural technology, and only 9 percent worked in banking sector.

         Meanwhile, Jokowi had previously criticized IPB for failing to produce graduates who take up farming.

          "I am sorry, rector, but there are many IPB graduates who work in banks. I have observed that many directors and managers at state-owned banks are IPB graduates. Hence, who will be the farmers," he noted, in a speech at the IPB anniversary event at the state institute's campus in Bogor, West Java, on Sept 6.

      The president stated that his honest statement was based on data of IPB graduates.

         Jokowi asserted that he believed IPB and its graduates had the capability to produce farmers to realize food resilience and ensure the welfare of the farming community.

          "I will continue to invite IPB to maintain cooperation with the government to meet the goals. It must not stop innovating. It must not stay at the throne but must reach out to the people in the field to help realize food self-sufficiency in the country and improve the farmers' welfare," he emphasized.

          In connection with this, Jokowi expressed hope that the IPB would establish new faculties or departments to adapt to global changes with regard to preparing an able workforce.

          At a local level, East Kalimantan Province has decided to enter a new era of modernization in farming, which is mainly necessitated by the shrinking number of farm workers in the region.

         Head of the Food Crop Agriculture Office of East Kalimantan, Ibrahim, noted that most farmers in the province had to use modern farm equipment both during planting and harvest.

           The farmers use hand tractors, threshing machines, and transplanters for efficiency as they could no longer rely on farm workers, Ibrahim revealed.

           The use of modern equipment is not only for efficiency but also to avoid dependence on manpower, he remarked.

          In addition, the pay sought by farm workers is too high now as mechanization is more cost-efficient, he concluded. ***3***
(f001/INE/a014)
EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 14-09-2017