President Prabowo Subianto has always had a strong connection with farmers, as stated by Dedek Prayudi from the Presidential Communication Office (PCO). This special bond stems from two significant moments in Prabowo’s life. The first instance occurred during his military service, where he received immense support from local communities and farmers. The second moment was when he led the Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association (HKTI).
During the grand corn harvest event for the Food Security Program in Jenggalu Village, Seluma Regency, Bengkulu Province, Uki highlighted the importance of the program, especially in light of the global demand for Indonesia to reduce its dependency on foreign food sources. He emphasized that if major food-producing countries like India, Brazil, and China were to stop exports, it would significantly impact global food prices and affect Indonesia.
With government assistance in the form of subsidized fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural machinery, Uki mentioned that today’s corn harvest yielded around 10 tons from 1.5 hectares. He encouraged the village head to streamline administrative processes for farmers to access subsidized fertilizers, as only 47 percent of the allocation has been utilized as of August.
Kelik Budianan, Head of the Food Data and Information Center at the National Food Agency (Pusdatin Bapanas), expressed support for Prabowo’s initiative, stating that they are collaborating with the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to procure farmers’ corn harvests. The agency is also working to integrate the supply chains of farmers and livestock breeders to ensure favorable prices for both crops and livestock.
These efforts were acknowledged by various officials present at the event, including Sukaraja District Head Ramlan Effendi, Jenggalu Village Head Johni Midarling, Maret Samuel Sueken from the National Development Policy Assistance Network (JPKP), representatives from Pupuk Indonesia, and the local community of Jenggalu. The aim is not only to increase production capacity but also to ensure the well-being and happiness of farmers.
