APTRI Asks All State-Owned Sugar Mills To Be Revitalized

Chairman of the Indonesian People's Sugar Cane Farmers Association (APTRI) Fatchuddin Rosyidi. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Sugar Cane Farmers Association (APTRI) Fatchuddin Rosyidi said that currently all sugar factories belonging to State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) must be revitalized, because all of them are still Dutch era technology.

"All state-owned sugar factories must be revitalized, because all of them are still in the Dutch era, there has never been a new factory," said Rosyidi as quoted from Antara, Thursday, June 23.

According to him, the revitalization of the factory, especially the technology, is expected to increase the yield and production of domestic sugar.

However, continued Rosyidi, when the state-owned sugar factory does not have any engine updates or revitalization, it is certain that sugarcane farmers will decrease.

This happened in West Java, where all eight sugar factories were still using Dutch-era machines, causing production to decline and farmers reluctant to plant sugar cane.

In fact, continued Rosyidi, currently there are only two sugar factories operating in West Java and there has also been no revitalization, so that when compared to other regions, West Java is very lagging behind.

"At least revitalize technology, if the building is not a problem. In West Java there is a lot of land, if there is one factory that yields 8, God willing, those who usually plant corn will move to sugar cane," he said.

He added that when the sugar factory was not revitalized, farmers were reluctant to plant sugar cane because it was certain that they would lose money.

With this, the sugar self-sufficiency which has been declared in 2025 will not work.

"Growing sugar cane is easy, but when sugar factories still don't use modern machines, no farmers want to. So the goal of self-sufficiency in sugar is still very far away," he said.