Agricultural sector must be revitalized soon: Wiranto

Agricultural sector must be revitalized soon: Wiranto

TEGAL, Central Java (JP): Given the economic crisis, the
agricultural sector must be revitalized as soon as possible to
meet the nation's food needs, Minister of Defense/Armed Forces
(ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto said here yesterday.

Speaking to journalists after launching the National
Agricultural Cooperation Program, Wiranto described how the Armed
Forces was taking up the challenge of helping to establish food
sufficiency by converting idle land into productive land.

He stressed that the need for food could not be delayed.

"This is a concern of ABRI, working together with the people
to help ease the country's plight in the crisis," he said.

Wiranto was accompanied yesterday by Minister of Manpower Theo
L. Sambuaga, Minister of Agriculture Justika Sjarifudin
Baharsjah, State Minister of Food, Drugs and Horticulture
Haryanto Dhanutirto, Army Chief Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo, and
Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Wahab Mokodongan.

The cooperation scheme, dubbed by Wiranto as "a cross sectoral
and cross ministerial program", is supported by ABRI and 14
related ministries and government offices.

Its initial target is cultivating 100,000 hectares of idle
land. The longer-term plan is to work on 3 million hectares of
across the country, according to Wiranto.

"This is a step taken by ABRI to anticipate a possible food
crisis, preparing for the worst possible scenario. But, we
haven't seen that there's been that crisis yet," he said.

Late last year and early this year, some drought-hit regions
in the country witnessed food riots.

Given the situation and the country's depleting foreign
reserves, the agricultural sector must never be neglected,
Wiranto said.

"We can't imagine what could happen if the foreign reserves
really run out," Wiranto said, referring to the state's net
international reserves which at present stand at US$13.571
billion.

Without elaborating, he said it now was time for the whole
nation to work together and that "talking, shouting, and
demanding" would not help solve problems.

According to Wiranto, the program has four targets -- to meet
food needs and reduce imports; to further foster ABRI's unity
with the people; to entice farmers who have been absorbed by
other sectors to return to the land and to provide employment for
millions of people who have lost their jobs during the crisis.

Justika said the idle land would planted with rice, corn, and
soybeans. (45/aan)