Minister Of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman's Efforts To Fight The Fertilizer Mafia In Today's Memory, 26 February 2015

Andi Amran Sulaiman read the oath when inaugurated by President Jokowi to become Minister of Agriculture at the State Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (25/10/2023). (Between/Hafidz Mubarak A/aww)

JAKARTA Memories of today, nine years ago, February 26, 2015, Minister of Agriculture (Mentan), Andi Amran Sulaiman urged law enforcers to imprison the fertilizer mafia. This desire was present because Andi saw that many subsidized fertilizers were rare and expensive in the market.

Previously, the high cost of fertilizer often had a domino effect. Expensive fertilizer prices can have an impact on expensive rice prices. This condition makes farmers the main victim. Their lives are increasingly difficult, even a lot of debt.

Not a few Indonesians have livelihoods as farmers. The profession has high urgency. They work on rice fields to meet the needs of staple food, their families and the common people.

This narrative makes the presence of farmers increasingly important in life in the future. However, this condition is inversely proportional to the lives of farmers. Many of them live in the past. Income from agriculture sometimes doesn't make them live a prosperous life.

Traditional agriculture to uncertain natural conditions is the reason. Not yet when the government began to implement rice import policies from other countries. Everything is to meet national rice. The impact of the survival of farmers becomes disrupted.

This problem gets worse when subsidized fertilizers are increasingly rare and expensive in the market. The increase in fertilizer prices makes farmers stunned. farmers' debts are everywhere. In fact, the presence of cheap fertilizers determines farmers' crops.

Take for example in Rejang Lebong Regency, Bengkulu in 2014. The allocation of subsidized fertilizers decreases every year. The decline in quotas is agreed by local officials. Difficulties in obtaining subsidized fertilizers also forced farmers to access unsubsidized fertilizers that are expensive.

This condition makes the price of rice in the market increase sharply. As a result, all the people and farmers became victims.

"Hopefully this fertilizer can be obtained easily, because so far, if the price goes up, farmers usually find it difficult to get this subsidized fertilizer and are forced to use non-subsidized fertilizer at an expensive price," vegetable farmer in Pelalo Village, Sindang Kelingi District, Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu, Yanto as quoted by the Antara page, March 3, 2014.

The Indonesian government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), has not turned a blind eye to this. The owner of the power saw that there was a big game from the mafia against scarcity and high fertilizer prices.

This condition is being handled by the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman. He wants to eradicate the fertilizer mafia. He asked all law enforcers to immediately explore the fertilizer mafia. He wants all the fertilizer mafia to be arrested and thrown into prison. Moreover, the fertilizer mafia is considered a traitor to farmers.

Andi revealed this narrative after the rice harvest in Ngebruk Village, Sumberpucung District, Malang Regency, on February 26, 2015. This wish is solely a form of support for Indonesian farmers so that they can prosper.

"Whoever and whatever his position, who betrays the farmer must be dealt with firmly. Because, the indication of the existence of a food and fertilizer commodity mafia is quite large, even an indication is true. If it is true, then it must be dealt with firmly.

"There are 20 people who have been caught in connection with this fertilizer problem. In East Java, 6 people have been arrested in connection with this fertilizer," Andi said as quoted by the Antara website, February 26, 2015.