Participants reliant on cultivation project

JAKARTA (JP): Unemployed residents participating in the city's idle land cultivation project urged the city administration on Wednesday to continue the project until the economic crisis is over.

They said in separate interviews that the cultivation project, which was designated as a temporary measure to curb the increasing rate of the city's unemployed following the onset of the crisis in 1997, was apparently their permanent job.

Umar, a farmer at a project site in Rawasari subdistrict in East Jakarta, said the cultivation project became a "lifesaver" for him as he was unemployed even before the crisis.

"Through the cultivation project, I can earn Rp 10,000 (US$1.40) a day, which is enough to feed my family of six children," he said.

Umar, who hails from Bogor, said he used to take any odd job, such as being a construction worker or a street vendor, in order to feed his family.

He said the 2.4 hectare project could produce 150 kilograms of vegetables a day and were sold to nearby Senen Market in Central Jakarta and Genjing Market in East Jakarta.

From the crops, Umar can earn about Rp 200,000 a day, which he shares with 19 other farmers who work under the supervision of the Communication Forum of Indonesian Military Veterans' Children (FKPPI).

Umang, a farmer at an idle plot in Pulomas, East Jakarta, said he had no idea of what to do if the administration ended the project.

"I would probably just look for another job," he said.

The city administration introduced the cultivation project by planting fast-growing crops in early 1998. The project occupies unused properties belonging to state or private companies.

Many people lost their jobs after numerous companies went bankrupt and many development projects were halted following the crisis. Data at the city administration shows 825,926 city residents are unemployed.

Data at the city agriculture agency shows that there are 3,062.37 hectares of idle land in the city, including those neglected by property developers who can no longer afford to run construction projects due to skyrocketing prices of building material.

The data also shows that as of September the cultivation project can harvest up to 4,035 tons of vegetables and other kinds of crops. The project can accommodate 6,343 unemployed.

An agency official who asked for anonymity said the cultivation project had a big share in the development of the city's agricultural industry.

"In 1997, city agricultural production was only 26,883 tons, "so production from the idle land is significant".

She said the agency was considering to continue the project.

"If the cultivation project is proven worthy, we'll propose to the city administration to continue the project," she said.

However, not all of the projects were successful. Several idle plots, declared as project sites, were abandoned by farmers, like in Slipi in West Jakarta and in Matraman, Central Jakarta.

The agency official acknowledged that several of the unemployed who joined the cultivation project left the job after receiving money to start the project.

"Some just left the job after they received a daily wage of Rp 7,500 from the Ministry of Manpower for a two-month period as their initial capital last year," she said. (ind)