YOGYAKARTA - Dr. Agung Hendriadi, M.Eng., Head of Agricultural Technology Study and Development Agency, said government target to self-supply bean, meat, corn and rice would be difficult to accomplish in 2014. It’s because national food productivity cannot yet meet consumer’s increasing demand. “Our food productivity in the past 10 years has not been developing, not increasing significantly,” said Agung in a talkshow of career development in agricultural technology in Faculty of Agricultural Technology UGM.
Agung admitted one of the reasons is that 52% of irrigaton infrastructure are badly damaged as they were built in the New Order era. Absorption of manpower also declined by 50%. “In 1976 the absorption of manpower in agriculture was 64,16% declining to 33% presently,” said the alumnus of the Faculty.
Meanwhile, national bean productivity 1.3 million of tonnes per year with demand up to 2.6 millions. Sugar productivity is 2.17 millions of tonnes and demand is 2.9 millions.
For corn commodity, big issues are minimum ownership of land and after harvest processing technology. During harvesting season in May, June, and July, productivity is a surplus, but this cannot meet the demand in the next 9 months, because “(stock) is not well stored, so unable to meet demands,” he said.
In terms of meat, productivity and production of national beef only increased by 100 tonnes in 10 years, or from 350 tonnes per year in 2000 to 450 tonnes in 2010. “Currently, the production of local meat is 536 thousands of tonnes while demand is 580 thousands, so we still need to import,” he added.
Cow and buffalo national population is 14.8 millions, with 50.68 percent in Java, 18 Sumatera, 14 Bali and Nusa Tenggara, the rest in Kalimantan and Sulawesi,” he added.
Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Ir. Lilik Sutirso, M.Eng., said the problems in national agricultural sector are high import demand and weak investment in the sector, not to mention poor infrastructure and ineffiecient supply-chain costs. He called on the government to address the problem immediately to prevent from the state being unable to provide national food.