TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Farmers ask Govt to build infrastructure in exchange for BLSM
Andalan Farmers and Fishermen Group in Cirebon, West Java, wants the central government to fulfill its promise of Temporary Direct Cash Assistance (BLSM) for the poor from the funds freed up by cutting fuel subsidies by building and repairing agricultural infrastructure
Change Size
A
ndalan Farmers and Fishermen Group in Cirebon, West Java, wants the central government to fulfill its promise of Temporary Direct Cash Assistance (BLSM) for the poor from the funds freed up by cutting fuel subsidies by building and repairing agricultural infrastructure.
"The Government has promised assistance as quid-pro-quo for raising the fuel price," the group deputy head Sa'adi said on Thursday.
He added, "We are urging the Government to do this for us since most of our agricultural infrastructure is now defunct."
According to Sa'adi, the agricultural infrastructure needed includes irrigation channels and central water storage areas, such as dams.
"About 60 percent of the irrigation channels totalling a length of 60 kilometers in Cirebon are seriously damaged, while the rest do not function optimally," the regency Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Agency head Ali Effendi said.
He added, "these conditions have made it difficult for farmers to increase their productivity." He also remarked that building and repairing the agricultural infrastructure would be a strategic move toward enhancing productivity. (fan)
