President Jokowi Lauds Local Farmers’ Role in Boosting Corn Production

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attends the Central Java Farmer Development event at the Satria Sports Halls (GOR), Purwokerto City, Banyumas regency, Tuesday (01/02). (Photo by: Rusman/BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo expressed appreciation to local farmers for their role in boosting corn production to reduce the country’s reliance on corn imports.

According to the President, the same principle applies to rice commodities to secure the Government’s strategic rice reserves.

“I applaud the farmers for their efforts in growing corn and encourage them to also focus on rice production to minimize imports. I understand that this is a gradual process. It might not happen with the first planting this year, but I hope the second one will contribute to increased rice production,” the President said at the Central Java Farmer Development event at the Satria Sport Halls (GOR), Purwokerto city, Banyumas regency, Tuesday (01/02).

In collaboration with state-owned fertilizer holding firm PT Pupuk Indonesia, the Government is preparing 1.7 million tons of fertilizer for farmers, which will be categorized into subsidized and non-subsidized fertilizer.

“The allocation includes 1.2 million tons of subsidized fertilizer and 500 thousand tons of unsubsidized fertilizer. We hope fertilizer is no longer a concern with these portions,” he said.

By the same token, the Government is persistently working on preparing an additional budget for fertilizer subsidies in 2024.

“Ministry of Agriculture has proposed the budget and Ministry of Finance will assist with the realization,” he added.

On that occasion, the President pointed out that farmers would receive support during the planting process from field agricultural instructors (PPL) and Village Development Officers (Babinsa) to enhance the effectiveness of the planting and fertilization processes carried out by farmers.

“The PPL instructors have undergone a month of training on the effective use of fertilizer. There are also specific guidelines on how to use fertilizer. The application of fertilizer needs to be well-calculated as it is not readily available worldwide, and its usage must be approached with great care.” the President remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RIF/MUR)