Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has called the government's food estate program in Kalimantan a failure, saying that it neglects the needs of the local community needs and ignores crop suitability.

"Our food estate in Kalimantan ended up planting cassava, and failed," Anies said on Wednesday at a campaign event in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.

Anies said most of the funds for the food estate program went to big companies but should be going to local farmers instead, as they were the ones who understood and were experienced in growing crops to the local diet. They could also use the additional funds to improve crop quality.

"The same budget would be much more optimal if [it was] given to farmers to obtain affordable fertilizers. Affordable fertilizers, improved irrigation and an enhanced trade system," he said, as quoted by MetroTV.

Separately, while on the campaign trail in Pangalengan, West Java, Anies suggested the food estate to use the contract farming model.

If he became the president, he vowed to change the rules on how the government managed the food trade, and that his administration would try to lure more investments to areas where it was easy for people to find jobs.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo launched the food estate program in 2020 and appointed as its principal manager Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is currently vying to be elected his successor.

The program is part of the 2020-2024 National Strategic Program and aims to integrate food production in the country. It grows crops like chili, rice, cassava, corn, peanuts and potatoes and has been implemented in North Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Papua.

The programs focus on cultivating specific crops that are suitable to a particular regions, for example, rice and corn in Central Sumba in NTT.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/01/05/anies-bashes-food-estate-program-as-failure.htm