JAKARTA - Seeing that the size of the tempeh sold in the Tos 3,000 Batam market was running low, the Presidential Chief of Staff Dr. Moeldoko spontaneously commented. "How come the tempeh is thin here?" he asked the merchant. "It's expensive, sir," replied the tempe trader with a smile.
Moeldoko admits that until now Indonesia's dependence on soybean imports is still large. So that when the world situation is volatile like now, soybean prices skyrocket, and Indonesia is affected. "This condition makes producers outsmart the quality of tempeh so that the selling price does not burden buyers," said Moeldoko, during a visit to the Tos 3,000 market, Tuesday, November 22.
Moeldoko's visit to the Tos 3,000 market is to ensure the availability of supply and affordability of food commodity prices in the market.
Moeldoko emphasized that the problem of the high price of soybeans is a serious concern of the government. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the cabinet meeting, he continued, has ordered to widen the soybean planting area by utilizing land that is currently unproductive.
According to the Chairman of HKTI, as a sub-tropic plant, soybeans are not difficult to plant throughout Indonesia. Moreover, nowadays many new varieties are easier to cultivate.
"What needs to be built is the spirit. The enthusiasm to replant soybeans. Now the momentum is very good because the price of soybeans is high," said Moeldoko. "In addition, it can also be a balancer of import needs," he added.
For information, the working visit of the Presidential Chief of Staff Dr. Moeldoko in the Riau Islands to look for productive lands that can be converted into the agricultural sector. This follows up on President Joko Widodo's directives regarding strengthening food security.
Previously, on Monday, November 21, Moeldoko opened new land for agriculture in West Singkep sub-district, Lingga district. The new 86 hectare land, initially in the form of swamps or puddles, was converted into rice fields.
The opening of the new land was marked by the planting of local varieties from Lampung, namely Christal 04. The planting period to Christal 04 rice harvest was 110 days, with a harvest potential of 3 to 5 tons per hectare. "The opening of this new land is so that our agriculture does not only rely on the island of Java," concluded Moeldoko.
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