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Muhaimin promises safety net program to help mitigate crop loss
Vice presidential candidates Muhaimin and Mahfud turned up the heat on food security at Sunday's debate, when they slammed the Jokowi government's food estate program.
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A worker uses a tractor on March 6, 2021 to plow land at the designated site of the food estate program in Tewai Baru, Gunung Mas regency, Central Kalimantan. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
Vice presidential hopeful Muhaimin Iskandar, popularly known as Cak (brother) Imin, promised at the fourth election debate on Sunday to provide a safety net program for farmers to mitigate severe impacts of climate change on agriculture.
Muhaimin said the government should provide sufficient agricultural areas through agrarian reforms, as well as fertilizers at an affordable price.
"Even though many farmers have enough money, they do not have enough fertilizers," said Muhaimin, as quoted by CNBC Indonesia.
The National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman also emphasized the need to reduce Indonesia’s reliance on food imports to improve farmers’ productivity.
"Our food quality depends on us facilitating farmers to be more productive. We must bring our villages together into a union of high-quality food procurement and stop [our] dependence on food beyond homegrown produce," he said.
Food security became a heated topic as candidates presented their ideas during the second vice presidential debate.
Candidate Mahfud MD, running mate of presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, slammed rival candidate Prabowo Subianto's food estate program for not using proper agricultural techniques in cultivating crops.
