Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Chairman of Kontak Tani Nelayan Andalan (KTNA) Winarno Tohir emphasized that the agriculture has the important role as the economic savior of this nation, namely in the Covid-19 pandemic. He told that the agriculture could positively contribute to the economic progress nationally in the second semester of 2020.

“In the pandemic, some farmers made the breakthroughs. They could harvest more than twice. This would be the key in the agriculture to positively grow in the pandemic,” he said, Wednesday (26/8/2020) as in the official written statement to Agricom.id.

For information based on the data of central bureau of statistic the gross domestic product (GDP) in agriculture sector in the second quarter of 2020 reached 16,24 percent (q to q). In year on year (yoy) the agriculture sector positively contributed to increase for about 2,19 percent.

By this result, he continued, the agriculture should keep developing to fulfill the needs nationally. This could be done by giving production infrastructures to the farmers, such as, access of water, qualified seeds, and stable markets.

“I do hope that in 2020, the subsidized fertilizers could be about 1,4 million tons and in  October – March, the farmers could use the fertilizers to increase the productivity,” he said.

He also thought that the subsidized fertilizers should not be less or difficult to get. He said that it would make impacts to the production nationally.

“If using the non-subsidized fertilizers, I am afraid that it would have something with the productivity because there is correlation between the fertilizer allocation and the decreasing production. This should be avoidable,” he said.

Commission IV, Indonesian Legislators, Andi Akmal Pasluddin supported the additional budget to subsidized fertilizers. He thought that it should be the notice to guarantee the farmers’ economy. The agriculture is proven contribute to the GDP nationally.

“Until now we keep encouraging the subsidized fertilizer for the farmers. This year, there would be decreasing value of the subsidy for about 1 million tons. Now many regions are lack of subsidized fertilizers. Hopefully in this very short time, there would be decision to multiply the subsidized fertilizers for our farmers,” he said. (A2)