Agricom.id, JAKARTA – The agriculture proved as the economic helper for Indonesia in the difficult situation when other sectors could not do better. It is known from the increasing numbers of gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter which reached 14,58 percent.

Knowing this, Chairman of Economic Department Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Sahara thought that the agriculture would be growing in the next quarter. Besides appreciating the food sectors, this could be seen from the people’s needs which increase always in every single year. In addition, food is the basic daily needs.

“Agriculture is the basic sector in Indonesia from years ago, now, and in the future. In pandemic like now, the people do not spend lots to buy secondary and tertiary needs,” he said, Sunday (8/11/2020), as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

He also mentioned that the agricultural development in the wider perspective (the upstream to downstream) should become the focus of the government in the future. He continued that the agriculture should not ignore other sectors, such as, the industry, and trade.

“In the third quarter it is more convincing us that the agriculture is the savior of economy in Indonesia,” he said.

He also asked for the government to improve each level of value chain in the agriculture, such as, developing the upstream sectors, implementing the smart farming in the on-farm, developing the downstream, and improving the logistic systems.

“It needs to develop the marketing system, provide the qualified infrastructures, and agricultural financing system,” Sahara said.

For information, Central Bureau of Statistic (CBS) Indonesian Republic in the release, Thursday (5/11) revealed that the agriculture developed in the third quarter reaching 2,15 percent (y on y) or 1,01 percent (q to q). The better numbers proved that the sector runs well still, and the food commodity price, such as, soybean and palm oil in the international markets got better in the third quarter (q to q) or (y on y).

Still based on CBS, some of 7 sectors which y on y positively developed are the agriculture, real estate, health, and procurement. (A2)