Jokowi Responds To Hasto PDIP's Criticism: Food Estate Is To Anticipate Food Crisis

President Jokowi (doc. BPMI Setpres)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) answered the criticism of PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto regarding the food estate program. Jokowi said that a food estate was built to anticipate the food crisis.

"So we are building a food estate for the food barn to anticipate the food crisis. Be careful, all regions, all countries today face a food crisis," said Jokowi after Constitutional Day at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Friday, August 18. "Even if the stock is abundant, said Jokowi, it will not be a problem. Because it can be exported to other countries in need.

"So that what is called a food estate, it must be for reserves, both strategic reserves and. Later, if it is abundant, it is okay, for exports, because other countries need it. We are going there," said Jokowi.

Furthermore, Jokowi said, building a food estate is not as easy as imagined. The reason is, the planting of food crops usually only shows results in the sixth or seventh efforts.

"If you know, building a food estate, building a food barn is not as easy as you can imagine. The first plant usually fails, the second nanom can still make it at most 25 percent. Third, only usually seventh, sixth, seventh, it's usually new to normal conditions. So it's not as easy as we imagined," Jokowi explained.

"We built it at Humbang Hasundutan, three times it was only possible, somewhat better, not better, somewhat better. Those who were sent home from Pisau, yes, Central Kalimantan, were also not in good normal condition. It is still possible that half of it. The ones in Gunung Mas are still the same. The problems in the field are not as easy as we imagined.

Therefore, Jokowi said, there will be improvements and evaluations of the work. At the same time, you must have the courage even though you failed in the first and second trials. "So everything will be improved and everything must be evaluated, must be corrected, must be repeated and so on. If we don't dare, we will fail first, we will withdraw, until whenever we forget," said Jokowi.

Previously, PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto criticized the government's food estate program. Hasto even called this project part of environmental crimes.

According to Hasto, politics should take care of life and protect the motherland. Meanwhile, the food estate program is in the wild.

The policy turned out to be misused, then the forests were actually cut down, and the food estate was not well built. It is part of a crime against the environment," said Hasto, Tuesday, August 15.