Coordinating Minister For Food: Barada Farmers Counseling Under The Ministry Of Agriculture

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

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said the government agreed that agricultural counseling would be under central coordination, in this case the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan).

This was revealed by Zulkifli Hasan after the Coordination Meeting with the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, to Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto in Jakarta, Thursday, November 28.

"First, regarding agricultural instructors, it has just been agreed that later agricultural extension workers who are now scattered in various regions will be regulated through the Presidential Regulation which will be regulated by the Minister of Agriculture's cq (casu quo) center," said Zulhas.

Zulhas also said the government is targeting the addition of one agricultural instructor for each village in Indonesia. This step was taken to achieve the target of self-sufficiency in food by 2027.

"It's just that there will be harmonization later and now the number (of agricultural extensioners) out of 37,000 almost 38,000 will be equipped later one village will be one agricultural instructor," said Zulhas.

Zulhas said that this extensioner was needed to teach farmers. According to him, the increase in the number of extension workers is needed considering that the agricultural sector is very wide.

Because the agriculture will be extensive later. Rice farming, corn farming, plantation farming, coconut, coffee, chocolate and others, as well as horticulture. Our farmers must be taught how to use fertilizers, good seeding methods, and so on," he said.

Furthermore, Zulhas said, these steps were taken towards Indonesia self-sufficiency in food according to the direction of President Prabowo Subianto.

"Mr. President has conveyed (food self-sufficiency) to advance again in 2027. So our time is very short," he said.