Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan)\nand General Chairman of the Indonesian Farmers\u2019 Harmony Association\n(HKTI), Sudaryono, is encouraging the active role of the farmers\u2019\norganisation in overseeing government programmes down to the grassroots\nlevel. This emphasis comes amid the government\u2019s efforts to strengthen\nnational food sovereignty, including resolving various technical\nchallenges in the field.<\/p>\n
Sudaryono revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently\nfacing challenges in the sugarcane farmers\u2019 ratoon dismantling\nprogramme, particularly in finding suitable farmers and locations. This\nis where HKTI is asked to step in and assist the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) wants to help with the\nsugarcane farmers\u2019 ratoon dismantling. Finding candidate farmers and\nlocations is difficult, so HKTI must be ready to help,\u201d said Sudaryono\nat the Inno Food Launching event in the Ministry of Agriculture\nAuditorium, Jakarta, on Monday (27\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
He stressed that HKTI\u2019s position is not to replace the government\u2019s\nrole, but to serve as a strategic partner bridging central policies with\nreal field conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHKTI does not replace the government, but HKTI is now in the middle,\nbecoming a strategic partner of the government, so that together we\nbecome eyes, ears, mouthpiece, and hands, an extension of the\ngovernment\u2019s hand,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Sudaryono reminded that the organisation\u2019s role cannot be limited to\nmere symbols or formal structures. HKTI is urged to be more active in\ndirectly going to the field to ensure effective programme\nimplementation.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, just having a nameplate is not enough, and we must\ncontribute a lot, go down to the field a lot, and so on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a broader context, he linked HKTI\u2019s role to President Prabowo\nSubianto\u2019s vision regarding food sovereignty. According to him, this\ntarget not only covers major commodities like rice, corn, and sugar, but\nalso other commodities that have so far depended on imports.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany HKTI leaders are regional heads, and we really hope for the\nvision and desire of our President (Prabowo Subianto), how Indonesia can\nachieve food sovereignty, not just rice, not just corn, not just sugar,\nbut those imports can be fulfilled,\u201d said Sudaryono.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, he also highlighted the positive impact of the\nNational Nutrition Agency\u2019s (BGN) absorption of agricultural produce\nthrough the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. According to him,\nthis programme is starting to reduce farmers\u2019 practices of discarding\nharvests because they are not absorbed by the market.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs information, currently alhamdulillah thanks to Prof.\u00a0Dadan\nHindayana, Head of BGN, there are no more vegetable farmers throwing\naway their carrots, no more fruit farmers throwing away their bananas,\nno more farmers throwing away unsold vegetables, no more farmers having\ndifficulty selling agricultural products, because most are absorbed by\nthe National Nutrition Agency and SPPG for our MBG,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Sudaryono acknowledged that there are still points in\nprogramme implementation that are not optimal. He emphasised that\nimprovements must be made specifically without overhauling the entire\nprogramme.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is a good programme, but implementation at certain points\nis not good, that point is what we must fix. If our house has rats, 2-3\nof them, to exterminate the rats, we don\u2019t need to burn the house, just\nexterminate the rats,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he gave a firm emphasis that HKTI must function as field\nsupervisors, including reporting deviations in agricultural aid\ndistribution to the implementation of the MBG programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, HKTI from the centre to the bottom must and can become\nthe eyes and ears and mouthpiece and extension of the government\u2019s hand.\nIf there is something wrong, irrigation is not right, agricultural\nmachinery aid (alsintan) from the Ministry of Agriculture is redeemed,\npeople are asked to pay, report it, we will prosecute,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there are rotten MBG kitchens, report it, close it. If there are\nseed or seedling aids that are not appropriate, report it. So HKTI\nbecomes the government\u2019s intel at the grassroots level,\u201d he\ncontinued.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you do it? Thank you,\u201d Sudaryono concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/deputy-agriculture-minister-asks-hkti-to-act-as-governments-intel-oversee-food-programmes-1777269101", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }