Jokowi Wants Agriculture, Fishery to Push Off-farm Production

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi asked the government to start focusing on increasing agricultural and fisheries production off-farm, in a bid to accelerate economic reinforcements.

"So far, we have only focused our attention on efforts to increase on-farm production from the agricultural and fisheries sectors, we have never touched the off-farm; especially post production," Widodo said in a limited meeting at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, Tuesday, December 10.

Jokowi said fishermen and farmers need to step out of the on-farm box and start venturing into off-farm. For example, he said, by adding value to farming activities and fisheries through processing products, as well as developing businesses based on the two sectors.

To get into off farm, Jokowi said, farmers and fishermen need funding schemes and assistance. In terms of financing, the government already has a people's business credit scheme with a budget ceiling of Rp190 trillion in 2020, with an interest of 6 percent.

"I have ordered KUR to design special schemes per cluster, so that it meets the needs of the grace period, both for agricultural and fisheries cluster production," he said.

The president added that the financing scheme must be coupled with assistance in financial management, packaging, branding, and marketing strategies.

Jokowi also asked small-scale farmers and fishermen to join and collaborate with large groups or corporations, in hopes they would get better access to raw materials, working capital and investments, and get help in marketing so they can enter the national and global supply chains.

FRISKI RIANA