Ministry of Coordination for People's Empowerment Collaborates with Bayer to Support Farmers' Economic Empowerment

I have seen in Mojokerto how smallholder farmers can become empowered when their ecosystem is complete, from guidance, financing, to market certainty. This is often the missing link on the ground

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Coordination for People’s Empowerment (Kemenko PM) is exploring collaboration with Bayer Indonesia to support farmers’ economic empowerment through the Better Life Farming (BLF) and Perintis Berdaya programmes.

Leontinus Alpha Edison, Deputy for the Coordination of People’s Economic Empowerment and Migrant Worker Protection at Kemenko PM, stated in Jakarta on Tuesday that strengthening farmers on the ground can be enhanced through collaborative measures and a comprehensive ecosystem.

The initiative began with a Kemenko PM visit and multi-stakeholder dialogue at the Better Life Farming Center (BLFC) in Mojokerto, East Java, on Friday (22 May).

From the outset, he added, the Perintis Berdaya programme was not designed to create new initiatives from scratch, but to weave together existing good initiatives like Better Life Farming so they can be expanded and replicated.

“The approach is empowerment, not assistance; the goal is for farmers to be independent, have bargaining power, and not be dependent,” he said.

He stressed that cross-sector collaboration is key.

“We at Kemenko PM cannot work alone. In fact, we are open to inviting the private sector, financing institutions, and supply chain actors to sit together. The BLF model is already operational; our task is to ensure the ecosystem grows broader and not ‘siloed’. Hopefully, future collaborations can truly empower,” said Leontinus.

Meanwhile, Bayer Crop Science’s Agriculture Affairs & LTO Lead for Indonesia, Aditia Rusmawan, explained that the potential partnership is a significant step towards delivering inclusive impact on a larger scale.

“We are very open to cross-sector and government collaboration. The national BLF and Perintis Berdaya partnership initiative is expected to accelerate rural agricultural transformation across Indonesia. Through the BLFC visit in Mojokerto, we see how implementing a closed-loop model, cultivation technology, and superior seeds can boost farmers’ productivity,” said Aditia.

With government macro-policy support, he expressed optimism that this village-based ecosystem strengthening model could be massively replicated across provinces to realise the welfare of smallholder farmers.

BLF’s presence has proven to deliver significant positive impacts, such as a 34% increase in agri-kiosk revenue and 15-25% higher productivity for BLFC farmers.

According to the latest data from Mojokerto Regency’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and East Java’s sectoral reports, Mojokerto holds a strategic position in the regional agricultural landscape.

Despite being in East Java’s main industrial corridor, agriculture remains a significant pillar of the real economy. Therefore, efforts to enhance productivity and income for farmers, particularly smallholders, are needed to deliver broader economic benefits.

Imam Baihaqi, a farmer and owner of BLFC CV Kirana Juara Abadi from Pesanggrahan village, Kutorejo subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, East Java, revealed that the biggest challenges have been uncertainty—from initial planting capital, correct cultivation methods, to where to sell harvests at good prices.

“Through the BLF ecosystem, we receive comprehensive guidance from upstream to downstream, including financing and market access. The impact is tangible—my BLFC kiosk’s turnover has quadrupled,” said Imam.

He hopes the BLF and Perintis Berdaya collaboration plan can be realised soon.

“Government support would certainly expand the programme’s reach, allowing more farmers to benefit from tangible gains,” he added.