THE PURSUIT OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY
The self-sufficiency drive for crops has continued under President Joko Widodo through a programme called Food Estate, which has put down roots in Central Kalimantan among other areas.
The project is a multi-ministry effort – for example, one is responsible for clearing the land and setting up the irrigation system, another handles the actual planting of crops and yet another oversees strategic reserves.
The programme is largely considered a failure as it has not produced meaningful results since it started in 2020, observers note.
Some environmentalists have even blamed the government for environmental degradation, as they cut down large swathes of forest for the scheme.
Mr Bayu Herinata, executive director of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Walhi in Central Kalimantan, believes the latest Indonesia-China tie-up will wreak further environmental damage.
He also fears that the cooperation will create other problems, such as companies likely taking over the land and limiting the local rights to develop it.
To Mr Bayu, cooperation with China is not urgent as “food production is already good”.
“The challenge is not the technology but how far the government can help local farmers,” he said. For example, helping them gain access to fertilisers and capital.
Forest campaigner from Greenpeace Indonesia Mr Iqbal Damanik has similar concerns.
He added that if the government plans to develop rice fields in Central Kalimantan, this will fail again as the soil is not suited for mass rice production.
Mr Iqbal cited, for example, land in Gunung Mas regency, Central Kalimantan, which falls under the Food Estate programme.
With rice repeatedly failing to grow in the area, the government instead started to plant corn and harvesting began earlier this year. But Mr Iqbal said the corn was actually not planted on the soil; rather, it was planted in polybags.
“Is China even capable of developing the land? Gunung Mas is simply not suited for mass production, for example,” he added.
Money is another factor. Mr Iqbal says the cost of developing rice fields in Central Kalimantan will be very high due to the necessary development of infrastructure such as irrigation systems and roads, which many parts of the province still lack.
“This is a backward step. Factually speaking, there is no successful Food Estate, especially in Central Kalimantan,” Mr Iqbal stated.
