TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Every farmer should be free to manage his or her land without pressure from anyone. Law No. 19/2013 on the Protection and Empowerment of Farmers guarantees farmers the authority and independence to improve their standard of living. Farmers have the right and freedom to grow their businesses.

But not all farmers in this nation enjoy this right. In West Sumatra, the rights and freedom of farmers have been cut back by a circular issued by Governor Irwan Prayitno I'm support of the Acceleration of Rice Harvest Movement. The circular, dated March 6, 2017, which was sent to all regents and mayors, contains three instructions that erode the rights of farmers.

Several elements of these instructions could spark controversy. The governor asks all regents and mayors to mobilize the Army to urge farmers to plant rice again 15 days after a harvest. The management of rice fields will be taken over by the local Military District Command and regency agriculture technical implementation units if farmers have not replanted rice on their land by 30 days after a harvest. Another provision, which will also disadvantage farmers, states that 20 percent of the profit will go to the farmer, while 80 percent will be paid to the managers of the land.

Governor Irwan has since issued a new circular correcting several of these instructions. One correction specifies that only fields with good irrigation will have to be immediately replanted. Also, the cooperation over the land management will be handed over to a third party. Landowners will be given the freedom to choose these third parties, and will not have to involve the Army. The division of profits will be handed over to farmers and managers. But these corrections do not revoke the previous circular: farmers will still have to plant rice according to a schedule set by the government.

The transfer of land management from farmers to third parties also has the potential to spark conflict because there are no details about the technical implementation or the status of the land for the future. The circular also ignores local practices. In several regions in West Sumatra, there is a tradition of planting the next crop after the Lebaran holiday. In some places, farmers prefer to plant other crops because they can get a better price.

The instructions from Governor Irwan are an excessive response to the program for food self-sufficiency through a special effort, which was announced by the administration of President Joko Widodo. Since taking office, Jokowi has said that Indonesia must achieve self-sufficiency in food by the end of this year. To reach this goal, the agriculture ministry has established a special program to strive for self-sufficiency in rice, corn and soybeans.

Governor Irwan's excuse of supporting the achievement of long-term self-sufficiency, would make sense if it did not have the potential to deprive farmers of their rights. Instead of forcing farmers, the government should focus more on introducing programs that support their productivity, such as improving facilities and infrastructure like irrigation, and providing fertilizers, pest eradication tools and agricultural technology, as well as guaranteeing competitive selling prices for crops.

If there were supporting programs and facilities, farmers would not be reluctant to plant rice. There would be no need for the government to issue instructions that remind us of the forced cultivation program during the oppressive colonial era. (*)

Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine