The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) is encouraging programs for strengthening and empowering agricultural extension workers with relevant ministries/institutions in line with President Joko Widodo’s directive to improve the performance of the agricultural sector.
"Agricultural extension workers have a big role in increasing the knowledge and skills of farmers in Indonesia. They are tasked with assisting farmer groups, starting with selecting seeds to increasing crop yields," he said after meeting with agricultural extension workers in Soppeng, South Sulawesi, on Thursday.
Sulendrakusuma also emphasized the importance of improving the quality and knowledge of agricultural instructors through training so that assistance in the field can be made more optimal.
"The type of training and how it is formulated, KSP will coordinate with the relevant ministries/institutions," he informed.
Earlier, Sulendrakusuma, together with the Presidential Staff Office team, met and held a discussion with agricultural extension workers in Soppeng district. Several issues surfaced during the discussion, including the high administrative workload and the need for regeneration.
The meeting of the Presidential Staff Office team with extension workers and agricultural stakeholders, Sulendrakusuma said, was part of monitoring and field verification under the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 35/2022. Apart from Soppeng, the KSP team also made working visits to Makassar and Bulukumba.
"KSP hopes that the presidential regulation can be implemented well in the field, and the synergy between the center and the sub-districts must be stronger to build regional food security," he said.
Indonesia is seeking to encourage improvement in the agricultural sector through technology exchange, research cooperation, and trade transactions, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said earlier.
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"It is important for us to exchange technology in the agricultural sector through employee exchange between G20 countries and research cooperation," he highlighted.
He emphasized that it is necessary to optimize the role of the public and private sectors in agriculture to prepare food technology support in the form of representative offices in G20 countries.
"In addition, trade transaction cooperation is also carried out by facilitating export permits for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agricultural products as gateways and bilateral cooperation that can facilitate various fiscal reliefs," he added.
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Reporter: Rangga P, Azis Kurmala
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