Farmers and liberalization

Farmers and liberalization

From Pikiran Rakyat

The problem of small farmers in this country is a vicious circle. Agricultural development in terms of production increase is satisfactory. But this does not mean the farmers' prosperity increases.

Indonesian farmers will not be able to do much in facing the new era of liberalization in the Asia Pacific region. For example, how can Indonesia compete with the Philippines or Thailand whose products, such as papaya, might flood the Indonesian market?

To change the status from traditional farmers to modern farmers, the farmers must have courage, clear-cut trade concepts, managerial know-how, and must be have sufficient financial resources. In this case the government can play a positive role by letting the farmers determine for themselves what to do, and investigate the market's demand. To be able to compete in the era of liberalization the farmers must manage their businesses in a modern and professional way.

SAHWAN

Ciamis, West Java