We must be optimistic that mutual cooperation would be successful."Brebes (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) launched a Synergy Program of Action to boost the peoples economy in Brebes District, Central Java, on Monday.
The president explained that it was a program to enhance mutual cooperation among the relevant ministries and stakeholders to control commodity prices and to boost the welfare of farmers.
"The core of the Synergy Program of Action to improve the peoples economy was mutual cooperation. We usually work alone, but this practice should no longer be followed," President Jokowi noted.
He said the program was launched to counter the problems being faced in procuring food commodities and to improve the prosperity of the farmers.
President Jokowi added that he would later personally monitor to evaluate the success of the program, which for the first time has been launched in Brebes, to control the onion prices and improve the living standards of farmers.
"We must be optimistic that mutual cooperation would be successful. I will check it later to find whether the program is successful, and it will then be implemented in other regions," the president affirmed.
Jokowi expressed hope that through this program, the problems of the farmers would be resolved by offering land certification, capital adequacy, provision of seeds, pest control, and the provision of post-harvest production and distribution.
"We have known such problems for years, and we have to address them," the president noted.
Overall, the Synergy Program of Action for the peoples economy aims to alleviate poverty and improve the living standards in rural areas by providing decent work opportunities for farmers, breeders, and fishermen.
Brebes is selected for implementing the pilot project under the Synergy Program of Action for the peoples economy as it is the center of the onion commodity in Indonesia and contributes to the national inflation rate. The welfare of farmers has, so far, been relatively low, and most of the benefits are enjoyed by middlemen.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
