"The government needs to pay attention to improving farmers' livelihoods amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Agriculture Ministry also needs to maximise collaboration with private sectors to simplify the food supply chain," Speaker Soesatyo said in a press release in Jakarta on Monday.
Soesatyo said the Agriculture Ministry should provide assistance and aid for farmers to help them increase their production output and improve their quality, while also increasing their competitiveness.
By improving the quality of farming, the government could also improve the price of finished products and expand the reach of the market for commodities, he added.
Soesatyo also urged the Agriculture Ministry to improve and maximise farmers' potentials by providing training in farming, to help farmers improve the harvest and quality of their products, and introduce digital knowledge to farmers.
Soesatyo also asked the ministry to raise farmers' wages. He cited Statistics Indonesia's data that documented how the average workers' wages in the farming, forestry, and fisheries sectors as of February 2021 were only Rp1.93 million (US$133), far lower than the average national workers' wage of Rp2.86 million (US$197).
The ministry should also be committed to the timely distribution of adequate wages and social aid or subsidies for farmers, as farmers' livelihoods are the government's priority, he stated.
He also advised the ministry to cooperate with the State Logistics Board (Bulog) to maximise local farmers' crops so Indonesia could reduce dependency on imported crops or foods.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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