100 soldiers armed with vegetable seeds

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Military Command will soon deploy 100 soldiers not to a battlefield but to grow vegetables on neglected land in Tangerang in a bid to help raise the production of basic staples, an officer said.

Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the military personnel would be assisted by local people.

The operation starts early next month.

He said the activity was expected to help create job opportunities for jobless people dismissed due to the economic crisis.

"By involving local people, we give them a kind of 'hook and line for fishing'," Sjafrie said in a media briefing Tuesday night.

He said the local authority would coordinate the implementation of the project, particularly regarding the land.

"The neglected land to be cultivated will temporarily be rented from owners," he said.

He said the military personnel would be equipped with two- stroke plows and other modern equipment for the project.

He said such activities would also be extended to other areas throughout Greater Jakarta.

The implementation of such activities, Sjafrie said, would be conducted based on an order from Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto a couple of weeks ago stating that soldiers should help boost the country's food production by farm work.

"We worry about a possible scarcity in basic commodities and disruption in nationwide distribution," Wiranto said.

Sjafrie said the farming activity would be part of the Army's basic commodities operation aimed at providing food to the needy.

The operation was launched by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo last week and is being conducted by 10 military commands in the country's 27 provinces for one year. (09)