"In the current era of technological development, we must keep up with the modern agriculture method like other countries in Asia and Europe. The modern system is currently being implemented by our farmers in stages," Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said.
Speaking at the 2023 National Agricultural Instructors Gathering in Sigi, Central Sulawesi, on Monday, he said Indonesia is on par with Thailand as one of the agriculture producers in the Asian region, though, in previous years, its level of domestic mechanization was just 0.14 horsepower per hectare.
In 2019, Indonesia managed to catch up with Thailand's 2.1 horsepower per hectare mechanization.
Currently, the Indonesian government is aiming to match modern agriculture or the Japanese mechanization level of six horsepower per hectare, Sulaiman informed.
"Our domestic agriculture must keep up with the modern agriculture method. In other countries, spreading fertilizer has been carried out by unmanned aircraft or drones," he pointed out.
The minister said that the use of technology for carrying out agricultural activities has been very effective and efficient in the current era, therefore the contribution of millennial farmers is necessary to accelerate this transformation.
"Shifting the farmers' culture may take time. We need help from field agricultural instructors (PPL) who consistently communicate with farmers as working partners," he added.
The government's intervention to build a sustainable agricultural climate has included involving farmers of productive age in the formation of a forum through the Indonesian Youth Farming Movement (Gempita), which is focused on millennials, Sulaiman noted.
Considering that technological developments are increasing rapidly, agricultural solutions in the future must use digitalization, starting from cultivation activities to selling produce, the minister said.
"Attracting young people to enter the agricultural sector begins with creating an economic circulation of profits, then using the latest technology to support agriculture activities. The government is in the middle of intensifying those efforts," he added.
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Translator: Mohamad Ridwan, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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