Ganjar Calls Fertilizer A Serious Problem In Almost All Regions Of The Republic Of Indonesia

Presidential Candidate Ganjar Pranowo while talking with a farmer in Plaosan Village, Magetan, East Java, Thursday (18/01/2024). BETWEEN/M. Baqir Idrus Alatas

President Ganjar Pranowo's candidates consider fertilizer to be a serious problem in almost all parts of Indonesia after visiting several regions in the country.

The statement was made after a friendly meeting with the people in Plaosan Village, Magetan, East Java.

Of the many commodities, he said, now a little has been given subsidies, and it turns out that from the little that is given subsidies, there is also less.

"Their question is what will happen if we talk about food security and productivity?" he said, Thursday, January 18.

According to him, this question is important, even his party has received a lot of inspiration from the farmers so that tomorrow it will be included in a debate material for the presidential/cawapres candidates. "So, when it comes to food security, food sovereignty, one of the things that is discussed is this fertilizer politics. This must be conveyed later in the debate," he said.

The price of fertilizer is so expensive, said Ganjar, because subsidies for commodities are reduced.

One way to deal with these problems, he continued, involves extension workers to use fertilizer in a balanced manner by combining between semiorganic and organic. "If that can be done, this will be able to encourage improvements in fertilizer prices. However, if our agricultural data is not good, yes, we can't," said Ganjar.

In Central Java, his party has experience in creating a Farmer Card program that can find out how many farmers, the total recipients of subsidized fertilizers, and the area of land for farming.

Therefore, the candidate pair number 3 offers an Indonesian Integrated Card Card (KTP Sakti) as a database to solve various problems in the fertilizer problem in Indonesia.

"Well, if you have found a fertilizer problem, it has been solved, what has been done? Yes, you can increase your own fertilizer, the fertilizer will be obtained from imports, please," he said.

However, if you want to be independent, according to Ganjar, create a new fertilizer factory.

"If then it can be done, maybe it can meet the shortcomings, but maintaining its sustainability by mixing organic fertilizers or encouraging organic agriculture, in my opinion, is much more important," he said.