December 9, 2014

Indonesia starts 'people's farming' to attain meat self-sufficiency

Indonesia's so-called people's farming, which aims for meat self-sufficiency through the adoption of modern methods of farming, got off to a good start Saturday with no less than the country's newly elected President himself giving Rp220 million (US$17,600) in cash to participating cattle farmers.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's presented the funding during his visit to the People's Farming School (SPR) in Suka Mulya in Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra. 

"This is the first people's farming in Indonesia. If this works, we will develop it in all districts across Indonesia," Widodo said according to the Jakarta Post.

"I want to have our own farming and not to be dependent on imports," Widodo added.

The idea of forming people's farming groups was hatched by Muladno, a professor of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, in 2013.

The aim, he said, is to educate Indonesian village farmers--of whom over 90% are just graduates of elementary and junior high schools--to become independent and get them to adopt modern farming.

Muladno presented the idea to all husbandry agencies in Indonesia but according to him, only South Sumatra "gave a warm response and support".