Food estate development in Indonesia requires coordination across government agencies and a strong unity of command.
The Head of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) IPB, Ernan Rustiadi, assessed that coordination between government agencies needs to be improved to support the development of the Food Estate program.
Eman Rustiadi stated that Indonesian agricultural technology and human resources (HR) are currently quite adequate to support the program.
"The problem with developing our Food Estate is that we need to maximize coordination across government agencies and it requires a strong unity of command," he said, Thursday (14/07) night.
Food Estate, including efforts to expand agricultural land, is one of the government's strategic programs in the 2021 national agricultural development.
This program involves the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration as well as the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing.
This program targets the fulfillment of domestic food security through land extensification outside Java. Ernan said that Indonesia's ability in terms of technology and human resources in agriculture was sufficient to be able to realize the government's program.
"Actually, our human resources and technology are good. Moreover, we are not a poor country. But if there is no coordination, then (Food Estate) will have problems," he said.
Extensification of the agricultural sector can not be released simply following the market mechanism like oil palm plantations. Especially for the provision of basic infrastructure, such as land irrigation facilities and transportation support infrastructure.
Ernan added that Indonesia's population is estimated to reach 320 million in 2045. Assuming consumption of 110 kilograms (kg) of rice per capita, that year will require 35.2 million tons of rice or 64 million tons of harvested dry rice (GKP). (antara)
