Prakosa vows to help farmers

Prakosa vows to help farmers

JAKARTA (JP): Muhammad Prakosa replaced Soleh Solahuddin as
the minister of agriculture on Monday and said he would focus on
the development of agribusiness and food production.

Prakosa, formerly program officer of the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization in Jakarta, said the agribusiness
development programs he would implement would cover all aspects
of food production, from planting and processing to marketing.

He said his programs would be supported with adequate
financing, extension services, irrigation networks and
appropriate processing industries.

Prakosa promised to encourage transparency in his ministry and
called on the public to actively monitor its performance.

Soleh shared Prakosa's views that the ministry should still
focus on efforts to empower farmers by helping them to get low-
interest loans and higher unhusked rice prices.

He admitted the ministry could not perform well without the
cooperation of other institutions because many support services
and other infrastructures required for agricultural development
are outside its jurisdiction.

"We therefore need good coordination and cooperation with
other ministries," he said. (06)