ADB: It Needs Breakthrough To Build Agricultural Productivity In The Country

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Indonesia Jiro Tominaga said various breakthroughs were needed to build agricultural productivity in Indonesia considering that sector workers enjoyed a low level of productivity, with the majority being small farmers.

Smallholders suffer from low productivity mainly because they continue to rely on outdated production methods and have limited access to the market.

"It is impossible for them to maximize profits in supply chain systems and traditional values that are stratified and blurry," said Jiro in an online discussion "Indonesia Development Talk 11" in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Thursday, March 16.

Therefore, he said that various breakthroughs were needed to build sustainable agricultural productivity in the country.

This low productivity rate is reflected in a survey by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) 2021, where 99.94 percent of farmers in Indonesia manage agricultural land with an average area of 0.95 hectares and only get an average annual income of IDR 15.41 million or around 1,076 US dollars.

In fact, according to Jiro, agriculture is very important for Indonesia's efforts to increase food security, alleviate poverty, and encourage inclusive growth. The agricultural sector even employs a third of the total workforce in Indonesia.

The ADB project experience as well as public and private initiatives in Indonesia, shows the importance of developing ecosystems and utilizing technology, information, and communication (ICT) for small farmers.

Thus, he hopes that the future efforts and support needed to build a new agricultural sector that is reliable and productive for Indonesia can continue to be carried out.

"This step is to achieve higher and inclusive growth," he said.