Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) opened the series of commemoration of The National Agriculture Day 2020 on 24 September 2020. It is done by the Laws No. 5 / 1960 about the Basic Rules of Agrarian Affairs about the basic and mastery, ownership, use, and advantage of the national agrarian resources in Indonesia.

SYL said that the commemoration is the moment to emotionally consolidate the nation, namely the officers in ministry of agriculture, the governors, the regents/mayors that the agriculture is important because this sector is very strategic for the country. He thought that the progress of one region, district, province, and in national would be determined by the agriculture acceleration that could be optimized more powerful because it is also the element of the power of one nation.

“Indonesia is the agrarian country within the abundant natural resources, starting from the beach, lower ground or higher ground and these could be the resources for the young generations to advantage,” he said when speaking in the opening ceremony of the National Agriculture Day 2020 in the hall of Pusat Informasi Agribisnis (PIA), Ministry of Agriculture, Thursday (24/09/20), as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

SYL also mentioned that the agriculture of Indonesia could give the better work than what it was. The agriculture is the main pillar of the country. The country could be more powerful if there is good economic power and it is from the developed agriculture.

“The developed countries in the world start farming. We are the agrarian country and this is important sector,” he said.

He also told that his side would keep encouraging the young farmers or the millennial that the agriculture is promising to the life. It is transforming with the technology, mechanism to increase just like President Joko Widodo told that the agriculture should innovate within the accelerations.

“The agriculture could positively develop of five economic sectors nationally. When the economy in Indonesia was contracted for about 5,3 percent, the agriculture was the only one sector having the progress up to 2,19 percent (year on year),” he said.

Based on central bureau of statistic, in August 2020, the farmers’ exchange rate (FER) significantly increased for about 100,65 or 0,56 percent (month to month /m to m). the increasing happened in the agricultural business exchange rate (ABER) for about 100,84 or increased 0,31 percent (m to m). Both FER and ABER in January-August got better in a whole at 101,21.

“It proved that in the Covid-19 pandemic, the farmers are the heroes because they maintain the economy nationally,” he said.

He also hoped that in the situation, the people of Indonesia could help to another to be in synergy in agriculture, give support to the farmers to increase their productivity. The supports could be from the heads of regions, the banks, and upstream to downstream industries.

“We should not postpone the meals of Indonesian people. Ministry of agriculture could not work alone but should cooperate to accelerate the agriculture. We do hope, the agriculture in the future could be more productive and better,” he said.

In the event, ministry of agriculture also signed memorandum of understanding with Bukalapak to advantage the online toko tani application and develop the komando strategis pertanian (kostratani) and empower 500.000 farmers and female farmers of Indonesia about Covid-19 in cooperation with PT. Bayer Indonesia and Mercy Corps Indonesia.

“We encouraged that the start-up should be in the front line and we could put Kostratani to meet the agricultural producers and the buyers and make the shorter distribution,” he said.

Head of Public Relation and Information, Ministry of Agriculture, Kuntoro Boga Andri said that, the theme of the National Agriculture Day 2020 held by ministry of agriculture is ‘Pertanian Andalan Ekonomi Nasional pada Masa Covid-19’.

He said that every officer in echelon 1 the units in ministry of agriculture, agriculture agency, food security agency in many regions took part by supporting the agriculture and the care of the farmers by doing actions, such as, the same harvest and plant, the export acceleration, training for the farmers, training for the counselors, and giving awards to the millennial farmers.

“The commemoration of the National Agriculture Day should be the way for us to respect the farmers as their profession, and unite the leads and actions to increase the agriculture in the future,” he said. (A2)