Agriculture Minister Hopes Pesticide Price Increases Remain Under Control
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman hopes that pesticide price increases remain under control amid geopolitical dynamics and potential droughts due to the El Nino phenomenon, so as not to burden farmers and maintain the sustainability of national agricultural productivity.
“Now I ask you (pesticide entrepreneurs), you’ve already profited for decades, please serve our country. It’s fine to profit, but not excessively. Why? We must care for our brothers (farmers),” said Minister Amran in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, Amran, who is also the Head of the National Food Agency, explained that pesticide needs in terms of quantity are not too large compared to other agricultural inputs, so the impact of price increases should still be controllable proportionally.
However, he did not specify the quantity of needs.
The Minister also urged pesticide producers and traders not to raise prices excessively, considering the importance of maintaining the sustainability of farmers’ businesses amid global challenges and climate change.
According to him, business actors in the pesticide sector have enjoyed profits for a long time, so they are expected to contribute to maintaining price stability for the national interest.
He emphasised that price increases that are too high, such as reaching 20 to 30 percent, have the potential to burden farmers and disrupt the balance of agricultural production costs.
As an alternative, the Minister proposed that pesticide price increases be in a reasonable range, around 5 to 10 percent, so as to still provide profits without burdening farmers.
“Don’t take too much profit to raise it by 30 (percent) because I have a discovery, we have factories, I’ll put you there. Pesticide experts, rodenticide experts. So if possible, don’t raise it too much,” said Amran.
On the other hand, the government is also preparing anticipatory measures by providing pesticide support for farmers to ensure needs remain met amid potential supply disruptions.
The Minister affirmed that Indonesia’s agricultural sector is relatively safe because various supports have been prepared by the government, including irrigation assistance, pump installation, and agricultural machinery.
He hopes that pest attacks can be controlled, so pesticide needs do not increase significantly, which ultimately helps maintain the stability of farmers’ production costs.
Besides pesticides, he reminded that a more crucial factor in agricultural production is fertiliser, so the main attention remains directed at its availability and price stability.
With these various measures, the government is optimistic that farmers can still maintain productivity despite facing geopolitical challenges and climate change that could potentially affect the national agricultural sector.