Pekanbaru, Riau, (Antarariau.com) - The agriculture ministry said around 500,000 Indonesian farm families changed their livelihood every year for a number of reasons.
Among the reasons is high production cost, head of the agricultural extension and human resource development at the agriculture ministry Momon Resmono said in Kampar on Wednesday night.
"That is one of the problems found by the ministry. the agriculture minister during his three months in office has visited 22 of the countrys provinces . There are five problems found potential to hamper the program to reach self sufficiency in food," Momon Resmono said.
One of the five problem is damaged infrastructure with 52 percent of irrigation systems out of function, he said addressing a meeting of the Association of Agriculture Extension (Perhiptani).
Many of both primary and secondary irrigation systems have long been left untended, he said, adding, therefore, repair of irrigation systems has to be put in priority in budgeting.
"The ministry sets target to put into function irrigation systems for 3 million hectares of farm lands . Meanwhile, the public works ministry will support by repairing 49 water reservoirs including primary and secondary irrigation systems with a budget of Rp4 trillion in 2015," he said.
The second problem is shortage in seeds that in 2014, only 20 percent of seed budget provided by the government was implemented, he said.
"Just imagine , 80 percent of the budget provided by the government for seeds failed to reach the farmers," he said.
The third problem is about fertilizer supply. In a number of areas in Central Java, farmers, who were entitled to subsidized fertilizers were forced to buy non subsidized fertilizers, he said.
The ministry has reported the case to the military and police and the perpetrators have been nabbed.
The fourth problem is about labors. Based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics the number of farm workers had narrowed from 31 million in 2003 to 26.5 million in 2013 -- or around 500 farm families have changed their livelihood every year.
As a result there was always shortage of workers during harvest and planting time that optimization of the existing workers is needed by equipping them with more farming equipment and tools, he said.
Another problem lies in Perhiptani, he said , adding the program of agricultural extension is not yet efficiently carried out as expected.
"We hope that Perhiptani would increase its role in the program of agricultural extension to support agricultural program in general," he said.
The provincial and district administrations need to support the the program of food self sufficiency "including Kampar which already succeeded in carrying out agricultural programs with good quality," he said.
Kampar Regent Jefry Noer , who is district chairman of Perhiptani, said the district is ready to support the food self sufficiency program.
"In fact the district already carried out the program long before the administration of President Joko Widodo," he said.
500.000 Indonesian Farm Families Change Livelihood Every Year
