New policy needed to end conversion of paddy fields

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Agriculture experts say the government and local administrations must launch measures to attract investment to regions outside Java to prevent paddy fields from being converted into industrial and residential developments.

"As long as investment activities are concentrated in Java island, the government's effort to stop the conversion of paddy fields will not succeed," H.S. Dillon of the Center for Agriculture Policy Studies told The Jakarta Post Tuesday.

He was commenting on a report in the Kompas daily newspaper Monday that President Megawati Soekarnoputri had called for an end to the conversion of fertile agricultural land, particularly in Java, to avoid a future food crisis.

Experts have long voiced concerns that the rapid conversion of paddy fields in Java, one of the country's main rice production centers, threatened the nation's food security. Rice is the main staple food of most Indonesians.

Dillon also said that concerted measures to boost farmers income was also essential as farmers would be tempted to sell their land to developers if they could not make much profit from rice.

"I welcome President Megawati Soekarnoputri's call to stop the conversion of rice fields, but it really needs a comprehensive policy, the issuance of a Presidential Decree can't even stop it (the conversion)," Dillon said.

He also said the government must develop infrastructure outside Java to attract investors to the regions.

Indonesian Farmer's Union (HKTI) chairman Siswono Yudhohusodo concurred.

He said that local administrations in Java must set up strict regulations to ban the use of paddy fields for the industrial sector.

Siswono said that the massive conversion of paddy fields in Java could threaten food security in the country.

Many agricultural experts have repeatedly called on the government to boost farmers' productivity by providing incentives to encourage them to plant more rice and reduce dependence on imported products.

Indonesia achieved self sufficiency in rice production in 1984 but since then rice output has been unable to meet demand due to the shrinking paddy fields area and rising population.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistic (BPS) showed that in 1983, the country's rice fields comprised 16.7 million hectares.

Figures from The Ministry of Agriculture predicted that this year's unhusked rice would reach some 53 million tons with the total harvest area of just 12 million hectares.

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Paddy fields area and unhusked rice output estimates in 2002 per province

------------------------------------------------------------------- Province Total area (ha) Production (tons) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aceh 377,963 1,455,198 North Sumatra 992,730 3,955,468 West Sumatra 420,384 1,653,175 Riau 172,210 569,717 Jambi 202,018 670,816 South Sumatra 580,574 2,244,680 Bengkulu 103,284 344,259 Lampung 473,664 1,793,956 DKI Jakarta 3,323 15,962 West Java 2,211,641 11,143,718 Central Java 1,559,824 8,045,396 DI Yogyakarta 134,796 683,888 East Java 1,609,963 8,475,921 Bali 145,076 784,035 NTB 329,871 1,433,979 NTT 122,569 476,224 West Kalimantan 244,259 922,609 Central Kalimantan 166,928 569,808 South Kalimantan 457,468 1,600,137 East Kalimantan 94,065 333,990 North Sulawesi 128,181 531,158 Central Sulawesi 205,862 701,665 South Sulawesi 898,875 4,032,505 South East Sulawesi 107,860 358,200 Maluku 18,613 54,590 Papua 38,000 148,958 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 11,800,000 53,000,000

Source: The Ministry of Agriculture