Jombang Farmers Can Smile, Government Will Absorb 25 Thousand Tons Of Grain

Ministry of Agriculture officials during the big harvest in Jombang, East Java. ANTARA East Java/special

JAKARTA - The government plans to absorb about 25 thousand tons of unhulled rice from farmers from Jombang Regency, East Java, to optimize rice stocks and ensure that prices do not drop during the peak harvest period from March to April 2021.

Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, emphasized that the optimization of rice stocks is very important. All parties must participate in optimizing the harvest and protecting it.

"Bulog and other state-owned enterprises such as RNI will be able to absorb the rice harvest and can also cross-sector, namely the private sector to handle it. We hope that productivity can maintain prices in accordance with the HPP (Cost of Goods Sold) that has been set so that the price of grain/rice is not below the HPP," he said in an accepted release, as reported by Antara, Sunday, March 28.

He hopes that the regional government, namely the Governor and the Regent, will also supervise the activities of absorbing unhulled rice/rice to run optimally. He admitted that the absorption of unhulled rice requires synergy with all parties for the sake of safeguarding food stocks.

"Currently only agriculture is producing. Therefore we must maintain the spirit in agriculture, especially farmers, and also the enthusiasm of other stakeholders to work well together," he said.

The Minister of Agriculture also added that rice production in early 2021 is quite guaranteed and is in line with the target to meet the needs of the next few months. Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture is focused on increasing productivity and securing prices.

The government, he said, also provides various assistance to farmers so that agricultural productivity is also good. In addition to assistance sourced from State Budget funds, the Ministry of Agriculture and the banking sector also provide people's business credit facilities (KUR) to increase production and independently develop agricultural businesses with economies of scale.

Director-General of Food Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi, added that his party had deployed a team of farmers' unhulled rice movement (GSGP) as a strategic step to secure national rice production or stock and prices during the rice harvest season in March-April 2021.

During the harvest season, a memorandum of understanding was signed on the ability to absorb unhulled rice/rice from farmers in a synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture's Milling Strategy Command (Kostraling) with Bulog, PT. RNI, and BNI.

"Milling Strategy Command is a small Logistic Affairs Body (Bulog) that secures rice stocks, which are combined with small mills to absorb 4,500 tons of Jombang farmer's grain, equivalent to 2,857 tons of rice. Meanwhile, PT. RNI absorbs 500 tons of grain per month. Logistic Affairs Body (Bulog) then agrees to absorb 16,000 tons of grain, equivalent to 10,000 tons of rice harvest period March-April 2021," said Suwandi.

Suwandi also said that in this memorandum of understanding, BNI prepared a people's business credit (KUR) for Milling Strategy Command which could be facilitated by people's business credit facilities (KUR) in Jombang Regency and the cultivation process, harvest handling, post-harvest, and integrated product processing.

Meanwhile, to minimize yield losses, the Ministry of Agriculture also provides post-harvest facilities facilitation assistance including harvesting and threshing tools (combine harvester), dryer, and rice milling equipment.

According to Central Statistic Agency (BPS) data, the potential for harvest in March 2021 is 1.63 million hectares and April is 1.67 million hectares so that Milling Strategy Command (Kostraling) also continues to play an enhanced role in grain absorption activities.

The GSGP team in an integrated manner with Milling Strategy Command (Kostraling), local government, and Logistic Affairs Body (Bulog), has carried out activities to absorb grain from farmers in a number of other areas, namely Banten agreed to absorb 53,000 tons of unhulled rice, West Java 270,000 tons, Yogyakarta 74,775 tons, Jambi 8,000 tons, Lampung 25,000 tons, Sragen 17,580 tons, Karanganyar 15,000 tons, Boyolali 24,092 tons, Grobogan 24,000 tons, Nganjuk 26,592 tons, Maros 2,000 tons, Barru 500 tons.

In South Sumatra the target is 95,455 tons, NTB 40,000 tons, Tegal 11,000 tons, Brebes 11,000 tons, Kendal 6,200 tons. Then the absorption realization of Terisi District, Indramayu Regency was 750 tons, and several other districts.

The Regent of Jombang, Mundjidah Wahab, admitted that he was greatly helped by the presence of the Ministry of Agriculture's GSGP. With that, there is a certainty that during the main rice harvest season, farmers will get a profitable price, and rice production is also guaranteed.

"The Jombang regional government is ready to help oversee the way the peat absorption of farmers is carried out. Together with the farmers' unhulled rice movement (GSGP) Team, Logistic Affairs Body (Bulog), banking, the National Army, Police and other stakeholders it is confirmed that the rice harvest in early 2021 is a success, prices and rice stocks in Jombang are safe," said the Regent of Jombang.