KTNA: Rice imports hit farmers
Sabtu, 29 September 2018 6:23 WIB
Rice stock illustration. (Antaranews Kalsel/imm)
The reason is that imported rice will damage the price of rice at the farmer level, and become a loss,
Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (Antaranews Kalsel) - Chairperson of South Kalimantan's Indonesian Association of Farmers and Fishermen (KTNA) H Muharram stated that if the government, including the provincial government, imported rice it will be hitting its own farmers.
"The reason is that imported rice will damage the price of rice at the farmer level, and become a loss," he said, responding to Antaranews in Banjarmasin on Friday.
Therefore, the provincial government or related parties such as the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) do not need to bring in imported rice, because it can weaken the spirit of farming in this agrarian areas which consisting of 13 districts and cities.
The opinion of Drs Muharram, who is also a member of Commission II in the Economic and Financial Affairs of the South Kalimantan DPRD, relates to the need for rice imports.
Another reason that South Kalimantan does not need imported rice because its rice production in the last ten years has continued to increase.
"Not only the increase in rice products from year to year but also the surplus from the needs of the population, which now amounts to four million more," he added, citing the Provincial Agriculture and Food Crops Agency.
According to him, the most important thing is how to foster farmers to be prosperous rather than bring imported rice which will only benefit exporting countries or certain individuals.
