Coordinating Minister For Food Zulhas: Government Prepares New Rules For Subsidized Fertilizer Distribution

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas). (Photo: ANTARA)

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) said the government would issue a presidential regulation (perpres) related to the distribution of subsidized fertilizers to farmers.

Zulhas said the government would cut the rules for distributing subsidized fertilizers to farmers to facilitate distribution.

"We all cut it. Hopefully later in January the Presidential Decree will come out. So the fertilizer will no longer need to be processed, farmers will submit it first, the approval of the sub-district head, the approval of the regent, the approval of the governor, the approval of the Minister of Trade, the approval of the Minister of Agriculture, the approval of the Minister of Finance, is complicated," said Zulhas in a statement in Jakarta, Saturday.

Zulhas said, the Presidential Regulation will later regulate the distribution of fertilizers from producers directly to farmer groups (gapoktan). The fertilizer quota is regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan).

With this Perpres, the flow of fertilizer distribution will be trimmed. In this case, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a quota of fertilizers through a decree, then it was immediately forwarded to Pupuk Indonesia.

From Pupuk Indonesia, subsidized fertilizers will be distributed to farmer groups (gapoktan).

"If something goes wrong, Gapoktan is the responsibility of the farmers. If the Gapoktan is wrong, it is the responsibility of the area manager. If the manager is wrong then Pupuk (Indonesia) is responsible. So it's simple, we will simplify it," said Zulhas.