Farmer wants military to make good on loan

TANGERANG (JP): A villager of Balaraja subdistrict here reminded Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Suparman not to forget to return his 39-hectare plot of land currently being used to plant corn as part of a military-sponsored agricultural program.

In a speech during a ceremony marking the harvest of the corn crop, the farmer, Willem, said he hoped the military would be willing to immediately return his land to him if he asked for it.

"I'm glad this program benefits the people, but please remember who this land belongs to. I might need it someday," Willem said.

He said he had received nothing from the military-run program, but continued to pay tax on the land.

Djadja praised Willem's selfless participation in the program, which aimed to increase the welfare of local farmers and teach them how to properly cultivate the land.

"We planned this program over a year ago, targeting laid-off workers from Jakarta as the first priority," the two-star general said.

Djadja said it was difficult to find suitable workers for the program, and therefore planners chose instead to focus the program on real farmers.

The farmers who worked Willem's plot of land said they hoped they would be allowed to cultivate the land for as long as possible.

"Next year we would like to grow peanuts, so we really need this land," one of the farmers, Ali Sasro, said.

Ali said the farmers agreed to save some of their profits from the current harvest to invest in next year's crop.

This year the farmers cultivated Willem's land to grow corn for animal feed.

Seventy percent of the profits from the harvest will go to the farmers, while the remaining 30 percent will be collected by the government for similar projects in the future.

An executive from a local animal husbandry company said his firm had committed to buy the corn.

"We intend to buy all of their corn at around Rp 1,000 per kilogram, but the exact price will depend on the market," Anwar Pamudji said. (03)