Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has asked stakeholders to contribute to the restoration of agricultural land to increase the production of shallots in several areas, including Brebes District, Central Java Province.
“Restoring soil fertility so that productivity can increase again becomes the task of all stakeholders,” he said after visiting a shallot field and conversing with the Umbul Makmur Wiyono Farmers Group Association, Krasak village, here on Wednesday.
Decline in productivity is one of the reasons for the high price of shallots in the market, which has contributed to the inflation rate in Central Java, he observed.
“I checked this, why? Because the price of shallots contributing to inflation (is) so high. It turns out that the production here is also not very optimal,” he added.
Pranowo said that the decline in productivity was due to several factors, such as soil damage on agricultural land in the form of reduced nutrient levels in the soil, which caused the soil to harden; excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; and weather-related factors.
“We have checked earlier, but from the accounts of all of our fellows, they have realized and informed that productivity seems to have decreased. So, our task is now to restore soil nutrients,” he reiterated.
In view of these issues, he urged agriculture offices, both at the provincial and district and city levels, to continue to provide assistance to farmers.
The private sector was also urged to help farmers restore the fertility of the land.
“We expect that the campus will also be involved, restoring this land to fertility. Later on, the younger generation (will have) our agricultural groups, and combined agricultural groups ready to train them. The goal is so that later this land can be used as sustainable agricultural land for food, can be rice, can be onions,” he added.
Pranowo also asked farmers not to overuse chemical fertilizers and pesticides since this could worsen the soil, and excessive use could also lead to health problems and stunting.
“Be careful. If pesticide use is excessive, it is dangerous for children later on. If pesticides come in contact with water, they can cause stunting and goiter,” he cautioned.
He informed that he has prepared an aid formula to suppress inflation, particularly regarding the distribution of shallots and assistance in the form of subsidies to reduce commodity shipping costs of Rp1,500 per kilogram.
“Now we are preparing it, preparing the data formation. So, if today it turns out that it has not been harvested, we will check from the warehouse later. (Find out) how much is the shipping cost, to see whether there is a problem or not. If so, then actually it is part of the object that we can target for assistance,” he added.
Source: Antara News