Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government's policies to promote the use of biofuel as a renewable energy source should support farmers to improve their livelihoods and alleviate poverty, a farmers group and non-governmental organizations have said.
""A law and presidential decree do exist, but there is yet to be a real and comprehensive implementation of the regulations,"" Istowo Setyandito, head of a group of jathropa farmers said Wednesday during a discussion on biofuel policy.
""We have reliable and skillful farmers, but the government's policies are not siding with them, despite the fact that the agricultural sector is an important pillar of our country's economic development,"" he said.
Sawit Watch deputy director Abet Nego Tarigan shared the same view, saying that even though the agricultural sector had created new jobs for villagers, the government did not pay attention to their welfare.
""Indeed, the sector has reduced unemployment, but in fact more than 50 percent of plantation labors only get their daily wages without any insurance or social security scheme,"" he said.
Darmawan Triwibowo from the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation said the group doubted that the policies to promote biofuel use would have a direct impact on unemployment and poverty.
""The government assumes its the perfect situation in every area. But in fact, it won't be that easy to employ workers, increase their welfare and solve their poverty problems. It really depends on the development scheme of the plantation industry,"" he said. ""The situation will be worse if a land dispute occurs.""
He said that one of the main problems encountered when developing plantations was disputes over land ownership, either between farmers and the government or farmers and plantation companies.
""Farmers should have the right to cultivate their land without losing their ownership. On the other hand, they should also benefit from the biofuel business.""
However, Evita H. Legowo, the first secretary of the National Biofuel Development Committee at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said that the policy on national energy development, which includes the promotion of biofuel, has drawn a clear target for providing more job opportunities and reducing poverty.
""By 2010, we expect that biofuel industry will have provided 3.5 million job opportunities for villagers and increased their wage at least up to the regional minimum wage by developing 5.25 million hectares of plants, which are sources of biofuel,"" she said.
""But the target should also be followed by a proper pricing policy that will benefit farmers.""
Currently, the ministry, together with the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy and the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, is working on a regulation that would make the use of biofuel mandatory in the hope that it would encourage the use of the environmentally friendly fuel.
The first areas to test the regulation will be Java and Sumatra, where there are several biofuel projects.
