East Java (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) commenced the rice harvest period in Kartoharjo Village’s plots in Ngawi District, East Java, on Tuesday.His entourage included Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and Head of Ngawi District Ony Anwar Harsono. Each region has a different degree of fertility, with various types of management, thereby leading to differing results of harvests from one place to another, the head of state noted. “Last time, it was in Kebumen. This time, the harvest in Ngawi District, East Java. I see there is a difference, especially in the productivity rate per hectare. Here, (in Ngawi), there are some which reached 10.5 tons per hectares, while there are some reaching eight tons per hectare, while last time, over there, it is capped at 5.5 to six tons per hectare,” he elaborated. However, the most important aspect is maintaining the stability in the price of grain, so it would not go down during the harvest time, Jokowi emphasized. “Indeed, the price of grain must be set immediately. Do not let the price to go down because harvest time is everywhere. This will be announced soon by the Food Agency, so purchases by the Logistics Bureau can be clearer,” he stated. The Food Agency is currently recalculating the newest government buying price (HPP) for grain and rice by taking into account factors, such as plot rental, prices of fertilizers, seeds, and other operational fees, so the farmers will still gain profits. Moreover, the newest HPP will adopt a middle ground between the selling price for traders and buying price for consumers. “What is difficult is for the government to balance the price that is reasonable for farmers, reasonable for traders, and reasonable for consumers. Finding that middle ground is not easy,” he elaborated. Thus, Jokowi pressed for the established price to not be set below the total expenses for operational stuff that the farmers disbursed.
Source: Antara News Agency