Lampung is losing farmers

Lampung is losing farmers

BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: The government must accelerate the pace of industrialization in order to stem the flow of farmers leaving the province, an official says.

Head of the provincial office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Thamrin Bastari, said that hundreds of young local farmers deserted their rice fields every year to try their luck in Javanese cities as industrial workers.

He told the Antara news agency yesterday that the farmers, most of whom have at least secondary education, could contribute more to the community if they stayed at home.

Thamrin said the farmers were not entirely to blame, however, because there was less and less land available for cultivation. (swe)