Govt asked to reduce intervention in farming

Govt asked to reduce intervention in farming

BOGOR, West Java (JP): A seminar suggested here yesterday that
the government reduce intervention in agricultural development in
a bid to encourage greater participation by farmers.

The seminar, organized by the Center for Development Studies
of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, concluded that the
decentralization program in developing the agricultural sector
has to be improved because it has been the most efficient way of
dealing with agricultural problems.

Alirahman of the National Development Planning Board
(Bappenas), one of the speakers at yesterday's seminar, said that
the decentralization will allow local experts to participate
effectively in dealing with specific agricultural problems.

He acknowledged that several factors have supported the
success of the agricultural development, including the policy on
rice and fertilizer pricing, the development of agricultural
technology, farmer training and the improvement of agricultural
infrastructures.

Alirahman said the agricultural development has made
Indonesia, which used to be the world's largest rice importer,
self-sufficient in rice since 1984.

The agricultural sector has also absorbed 36.5 million
workers, or 49 percent of the country's total workforce as of
1993. (05)