Farmer wants military to make good on loan
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)