APBD (REGIONAL BUDGET) FOR AGRICULTURE LOW

Almost every regional head in his campaign always stated that he is pro-people. But in reality, in budget. “in regions where many of the population are farmers and there are large agricultural areas, a lot of central government’s activities are not optimal because there is no financial support from the APBD (Regional Budget).” Said Gatot.

Most of budget of the Directorate General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities is absorbed by the regions for physical developments, such as expansion of rice fields, land optimization, development of System of Rice Intensification (SRI), farm road construction and expansion of plantation land, horticulture and animal husbandry.

In order that the physical activity of APBD will be optimal, it must be accompanied by non-physical activities, such as preparation of farmers through training to be funded by APBD. “Apparently, a lot of non-physical activity is not running due to lack of APBD funds. If the regional head is pro-people, budget, which directly touches the people, should be multiplied, “he said.

Another problem faced is the difficulty in finding a viable location, which is clear and clean. Human resources, both at the provincial, regental and field levels in the current autonomy era frequently change and the quality is still low so it causes difficulty in the operation of activities.

Rice field extension is carried out with due regard to the clarity of status of an area, which is not in the forests, HGU (right Exploit), peatland areas imposed by moratorium on development, and regions which have been saddled with rights and other licenses. In addition, the water source must be available and there must be human resources, namely farmers who are ready to work.

In the implementation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works who builds dams to ensure water availability, the Ministry of Labor and Transmigration to ensure the existence of farmers and the Ministry of Forestry to ensure the status of the land.

Target of rice field extension in 2010 was 12,025 hectares and the realization is 9,883 hectares, in 2011 the target is 61,950 hectares and 55,599 hectares were realized, in 2012 the target was 100,730 hectares and 98.32 hectares were realized, in 2013 the target was 62,275 hectares and all of this was realized, and in 2014 the target is 40.000 hectares and 37,941 hectares are being worked.

The contribution of rice field clearance cannot directly be expiated in the same year, but for a long term. It takes 2-3 years for these new rice fields to produce optimal results.

Meanwhile, to provide additional production in the current year, it is taken from the optimization of land. The focus is on abandoned land and land which cropping index could still be improved (from 1-time harvest a year to 2 or 3 times). In areas that have received land allocation of 500 hectares, the implementation is in cooperation with the Indonesia Army. All crops are owned by farmers.

Target of land optimization in 2010 was 9,992 hectares and 15,612 hectares were realized, in 2011 the target was 24,738 hectares and 41,448 hectares were realized, in 2012 the target was 209,800 hectares and 196,694 hectares were realized, in 2013 the target was 258,650 hectares and 253,650 hectares realized, and in 2014 the target is 200,000 hectares and 180,580 hectares are being worked.

Meanwhile, in irrigation areas where water availability is lacking and non-irrigated areas, SRI (System of Rice Intensification) is implemented, which saves water. SRI principle is young seedling, plant 1 stick, water-saving efficiency, use of organic fertilizers, and not using pesticides. Because the system is relatively new, human resource development of field works and farmers is essential.

In 2010, SRI target was 1,240 hectares and 1,040 hectares were realized, in 2011 the target was 11,180 hectares and 11,990 hectares were realized, in 2912 the target was 60,300 and all was realized, and in 2013 the target is 205,800 hectares and 175,835 hectares is being worked.

Meanwhile, the development of farm roads roads focus on food crops, horticulture, plantations and animal husbandry centers. It includes 3 aspects, namely construction of new roads, capacity increase, and road rehabilitation/repair.

The cost reached 100 million/km consisting of 10% equipment rental %, 50-60% materials, and 30-40% workers. This activity is intended only for the construction of roads and drainage systems, while the construction of bridges and sewers is the responsibility of the local government.

In 2010, the target of development of farm roads was 948 km and all was realized, in 2011 the target was 1,487 km and 1,658 km was realized, in 2012 target of 447 km was all realized, and in 2013 all the budget was submitted to the regions through special allocation fund (Dana Alokasi Khusus) which is the full responsibility of the regions.

Meanwhile, expansion of horticulture, plantation and animal husbandry areas is done to support national and regional superior commodities. National superior commodities are mangoes, mangosteens, oranges, durian, rambutan, coffee, cocoa, rubber and beef cattle.

The focus of activity is on cultivation areas (non-forests) and land which is temporarily unutilized or abandoned and the land is not problematic. Commodities cultivated are according to local agro-climate and the seeds are certified. Location did not overlap with similar program of the Directorate General of Plantations, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry.

In 2010 the target was 19,430 hectares and 17,821 hectares were realized, in 2011 the target was 41,029 hectares and 40,234 hectares were realized, in 2012 the target was 16,387 hectares and 16,085 hectares were realized, in 2013 the target was 14,209 hectares and 13,537 hectares were realized, in 2014 the target is 16,000 hectares and 15,785 hectares are being worked. (E)

Business New - August 8, 2014