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Jokowi pledges to achieve self-sufficiency in meat
President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo has renewed his pledge to achieve self-sufficiency in the supply of meat by promising to continue supporting local cattle farming and to stop importing the commodity
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resident Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has renewed his pledge to achieve self-sufficiency in the supply of meat by promising to continue supporting local cattle farming and to stop importing the commodity.
'I want to have our own farming and not to be dependent on imports,' Jokowi told a discussion forum during his visit to the People's Farming School (SPR) in Suka Mulya, Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra, on Saturday.
Responding to the farmers' demand for good cattle breeding and other farming facilities, Jokowi met the farmers' demands by directly providing Rp 220 million (US$17,600) in cash.
'This is the first people's farming in Indonesia. If this works, we will develop it in all districts across Indonesia,' Jokowi said.
The people's farming group was initiated by Muladno, a professor from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, in 2013.
Muladno said he presented the idea to all husbandry agency heads across Indonesia. 'Yet, only South Sumatra gave a warm response and support to help bring it about,' he said.
He said the group was aimed at educating farmers in villages to be independent and to develop their farming using modern ways.
'We know that 98 percent of farmers in Indonesia are just graduates of elementary and junior high schools. They are uneducated and run the farms like their ancestors did for generations,' Muladno said.
Previously on Saturday morning, while visiting a fish auction (TPI) in Tenda subdistrict, Gorontalo city, Jokowi asserted that sinking foreign ships that were stealing fish from Indonesian waters would not disrupt the diplomatic relations between Indonesia and other countries.
'We want to have the message acknowledged by all, that Indonesia is serious in curbing illegal fishing,' Jokowi said.
He said so far no country had expressed objections regarding his administration's move.
During a short dialog with local fishermen, Jokowi was also informed about foreign fishing boats operating in Tomini Bay waters located off North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and Gorontalo provinces.
In response, Jokowi told the fishermen that his administration had arrested five foreign fishing ships of large size and 150 other smaller boats the week before.
'We sank three of them on Friday to create a chilling effect so they will not steal from Indonesian waters any longer,' said Jokowi, referring to the sinking of three Vietnamese ships on Friday for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.
Responding to a farmer who demanded more aid for traditional fishermen, Jokowi promised to provide it next year.
The night before, Jokowi also said that his order to sink the three Vietnamese ships could not be considered as a violation of international law.
'Our ships found in Australian waters were also sunk,' Jokowi said.
He said that at present there were 5,400 foreign ships operating in Indonesian waters, 90 percent of which entered the territory illegally.
He also said that Article 69 (4) of 2009 Law on Fishery stipulated that the Indonesian government had the right to sink ships stealing fish within its exclusive economic zone.
While in Gorontalo, Jokowi also visited Limboto Lake in West Pentadio subdistrict, Gorontalo regency.
Learning the critical condition of the lake caused by high sedimentation and widespread conversion, Jokowi said he would soon be in touch with his Public Works and Public Housing Minister about dredging the lake.
'We will calculate the budget for the dredging upon our arrival back in Jakarta,' he said.
