"You were born with a new concept that provides a clearer path for Indonesian agriculture. So, I dare say, you are part of the Neo Marhaenis concept," he said while welcoming a modern farmers' group at Bina Graha Building in Jakarta on Monday.
The concept of Marhaenism was stemmed from the meeting of the first Indonesian President, Soekarno (Bung Karno) with a farmer named Marhaen, who had production equipment and a plot of land, but whose condition was still worrying. Through the concept of Marhaenism, Bung Karno wanted farmers to improve their welfare, he said.
Moeldoko, who is also chair of the Indonesian Farmers' Association (HKTI), said he considers the aim of Marhaenism, which aims to seek justice and prosperity, as very good.
"Don’t look at the political aspect, but look at the end goal of how farmers can enjoy prosperity," he added.
Ĺconcept is that a farmer owns the means of production; he owns a plot of land. The means of production are different. In the past, the production tool might have been a hoe; now the production tool they have is a gadget that can turn it into a metafarm. This is the difference," he added.
"They also have land, even though it is narrow, because the land is enough to build on a green spot; it can also be on water. They can grow crops; they do not need a large area of land. So I can say from these illustrations that this concept can actually stick with young people who have the same enthusiasm as what Pak Karno thought," he said.
Moeldoko further said he hopes that there will be new policies to transform agriculture in the future.
That is because agriculture in the future will need different approaches, he added.
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Translator: Rangga P, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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