Jakarta (ANTARA) - A 15.79-percent year on year increase in agricultural exports in 2020 has contributed to farmers' welfare, as seen from the farmer's exchange rate (NTP), which has continued to improve, President Joko Widodo has said.

"In June 2020, the farmer's exchange rate was 99.60, and consistently increased to 103.25 in December 2020. Then, in June 2021, the figure reached 103.59. I think this is good news that can spur the enthusiasm of our farmers to stay productive during the pandemic," he remarked in a press statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday.

The agricultural sector, the President said, is one sector that has been able to survive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, agricultural exports reached Rp451.8 trillion, an increase of 15.79 percent compared to 2019, when they were recorded at Rp390.16 trillion.

"In the first semester of 2021, January to June, the export value reached Rp282.86 trillion, an increase of 14.05 percent compared to Rp202.05 trillion in the same period of 2020," he noted.

The President said he has asked regional heads to explore the export potential in their respective regions.

He further said he has asked local governments to connect farmers with supply chains, both at national and global levels. This is to ensure farmers and agricultural business actors can easily export their products, so that these businesses can develop into export-oriented agricultural production centers.

A number of other agricultural commodities that still have the potential to be exported are swiftlet nests, porang (a type of tuber plant), essential oils, jasmine flowers, ornamental plants, edamame, and other horticultural products, he pointed out.

"If we really pay attention. These products will be a good product for us to export, including processed livestock products, which have wider market opportunities," he said.

Besides increasing production, the President also emphasized the need for farmers to master technology to increase productivity.

"Downstreaming to increase added value, calculate economies of scale by clustering, mechanize product development, and promotion of digital-based products are some of the significant efforts to do. We must develop such efforts so that our agricultural products are more widely known and become more competitive," he added.

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Translator: Indra Arief Pribadi, Katriana
Editor: Sri Haryati
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