All hands on deck to lift RI out of crisis
All hands on deck to lift RI out of crisis
BOGOR (JP): Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) rector Soleh
Solahuddin underlined here Saturday the importance of introducing
a new mass guidance (Bimas) movement to help lift Indonesia out
of crisis.
The movement would work to intensify the use of neglected and
unproductive land to bolster agricultural productivity in key
crops such as rice, soybean and corn, he said. Indonesia is
currently dependent on imports of all three staples.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony held on the institute's
Darmaga campus, Soleh said that Indonesia imports one million
tons of soybean and corn every year to meet demand from domestic
and animal food industries. "Rice imports have also risen this
year," he said.
Many poultry firms went bankrupt after the price of imported
soybean and corn jumped when the rupiah fell in value, he said.
Soleh believes the new movement should be undertaken through a
labor intensive program as this will provide much-needed
employment.
If it is to succeed in assisting Indonesia reduce dependency
on imports, skilled human resources, funds and technology will be
required.
IPB has a competence in providing the necessary human
resources and technology. "In pioneering the previous Bimas
program in the early 1960s, the institute developed its human
resources and technology to support the country's drive for rice
self-sufficiency," he said.
The new Bimas movement could see the institute's students,
graduates and lecturers returning to rural parts of the country
to help improve agricultural productivity, he added.
Soleh also said that the agricultural sector could help reduce
dependency on imports by investing in bio-technological research.
Certain crops that are common in Indonesia can be processed into
substitutes for a number of currently imported products.
A wheat flour substitute can be derived from several tubers,
including garut and ganyong. Plastic substitutes can be
manufactured by changing the chemical composition of manioc.
Manioc can also be used to produce a textile-like material and
paper. Medicines can be manufactured from basic compounds found
in many species of plant in Indonesia's vast and diverse forests.
Research should also be carried out into manufacturing
biodiesel, bioserfactan and vitamins from crude palm oil.
An integrated agro-industrial estate could then be set up as a
site where these new bio-technologies are set to work for the
nation. This would also help strengthen the country's industrial
structure.
One hundred and forty three IPB students graduated Saturday
with diploma degrees, 592 with Sarjana degrees, 162 with Magister
degrees and 22 with Doctorate degrees. (24/jun/hhr)