...we will ensure that each village will have one farming instructor in the future.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, has said that the government is planning to post one farming instructor in each village to achieve the food self-sufficiency target envisioned by President Prabowo Subianto.

"We currently have 37 thousand to 38 thousand farming instructors, and we will ensure that each village will have one farming instructor in the future," he affirmed here on Thursday.

He conveyed the remarks after a closed-door coordination meeting with Marine and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, and other food sector stakeholders.

Hasan said that the program is aimed at realizing harmonious and efficient agriculture policies at the local level, adding that it will be carried out in a centralized manner under the Agriculture Ministry's leadership.

"We agree to manage the farming instructors, who are scattered in various regions nationwide, through a presidential regulation," he informed.

According to Hasan, the deployment of farming instructors in villages is important as they can help educate farmers about efficient fertilizer and modern technology use and selection of good seeds, which could help increase harvest outcomes and ensure sustainable agriculture.

Apart from focusing on staple commodities such as rice and corn, farming instructors will be responsible for encouraging the development of other commodities such as coconut, cocoa, and coffee.

Farmers will also be encouraged to contribute to the horticulture sector to fulfill domestic and export demand, the coordinating minister said.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said that for the one-village-one-instructor program, the country ideally needs 83 thousand farming instructors.

However, the number of such instructors has dwindled significantly in the past several years, causing a discrepancy in the instructor-to-village ratio, with one farming instructor currently managing five villages.

"Hence, President Prabowo gave the greenlight for the central government to take over the management of farming instructors nationwide," Sulaiman said.

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Translator: M Harianto, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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