"The agricultural issue is more important than just being an economic issue, because it is very strategic for national resilience. Final agricultural production is food, and without food there is no civilization," Prabowo said during a discussion on "Realizing Sovereign and Prospering Agricultural Development" at Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) campus on Friday.
The politician from Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party noted that agriculture not only involves food production, but includes fisheries, animal husbandry, and agro-industry.
Commenting on the increasingly reduced agricultural lands, Prabowo suggested that there must be more careful land-use planning and regulations to maintain agricultural areas.
Further, he added that the government must keep the agricultural sector on track following the creation of a number of policies that are considered to be less favorable for the agriculture sector.
According to Prabowo, the government was less than partial with the agricultural sector, as seen from the policy of imports of agricultural produce, farmers poor bargaining positions against banks, and a decrease in the number of farmers.
"We are supposed to protect the agricultural and marine treasures but, pathetically, we failed to do it properly," said the presidential candidate from Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party.
Prabowo suggested that other countries were able to protect their agriculture and marine wealth and, therefore, the government of Indonesia should play an important role in the agricultural sector.
"It is ironic that in the past we exported fish, but our failure to keep it on track now make us import patin fish (pangasius nasutus), marine fish, salted fish, and even salt from other countries," he added.
(O001/INE)
(T.O001/A/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
