Anies: Budget Is Better For Farmers Than Food Estate

Presidential Candidate Anies Baswedan answered reporters' questions at Djalaluddin Airport, Gorontalo Province, Monday (8/1/2023). ANTARA/HO-Timnas AMIN

GORONTALO - Presidential Candidate (Capres) Anies Baswedan said the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) is better for farmers than being given to corporations or private companies to build food estate.

"The budget allocation through fertilizer and diesel subsidies is more important for farmers so that they can be directly useful in managing agricultural land," said Anies when he arrived at Djalaluddin Airport, Gorontalo, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, January 8.

The former Chancellor of Paramadina University also highlighted the deforestation of hundreds of hectares which damaged environmental sustainability due to the Food Estate program initiated by the Ministry of Defense. However, it does not bring benefits to farmers or the community until now.

"When talking about processing, you have to ask the experts, ask the experts so they can provide input to stakeholders on the policy of measures to save the environment," Anies said in response to deforestation due to the Food Estate program.

It is also said that the impact of deforestation must be immediately improved by the Government so that it will not have a bad effect on the environment in the future.

"It is important for the ecology to recover so that they can return to health," said the former Minister of Education and Culture.