Prices Of Fertilizer And Pesticides Soar, Farmers Parigi Moutong Central Sulawesi Forced To Lease Land

JAKARTA - Farmers in Torue Subdistrict, Parigi Moutong Regency, Central Sulawesi (Central Sulawesi) are under pressure following high prices for fertilizers and pesticides. Some farmers are forced to lease land to investors.

"We were forced to lease the land, because we were unable to finance the purchase of agricultural drugs," said I Nyoman Muria, Farmer of Tolai Village, in Parigi Moutong as reported by Antara, Tuesday, February 16.

In recent years, farmers' yields in the region have not been optimal, because the burden of production costs is quite high. Not to mention that the prices of a number of components that support agricultural activities, especially pesticides and medicines, have soared.

"Recently we have only been able to produce two tonnes per hectare of dry unhulled rice at harvest, compared to previous production results we were able to produce five tonnes per hectare," said Nyoman.

The impact of high pesticide prices and the use of subsidized fertilizers affects the quality of rice production, in addition to the excessive use of chemicals by farmers.

"We are unable to cover the production costs, while the crop yields are inadequate, so the steps we are taking are leasing land to people with more capital," he added.

I Komang Rilu, other farmers want the presence of the government to intervene and find a solution to the scarcity of subsidized fertilizers and at the same time reduce the price of medicines which are still high.

"We hope the government can provide a solution, especially we farmers in Tolai Village," he said.

In addition, farmers in the village also experienced crop failure of 250 hectares due to uncontrolled use of chemicals.

The impact of the crop failure, an impact on the production of farmers fell by up to 60 percent per harvest season, as a result farmers suffered losses in material terms.