Diversifying Carbohydrate Sources

Entering this year’s main harvest season, rice farmers in West Java and Central Java are facing the dual prospects of crop failure and financial loss from high production costs.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

A workers harvest rice in flooded paddy fields in the Rorotan area, North Jakarta, Wednesday (4/1/2023).

Kompas reported on Tuesday (28/2/2023) that farmers in several regions had flooded their fields ahead of the main harvest season from the end of March to April.

At the same time, farmers had been overshadowed by the prospect of financial losses, given the high production costs due to high fertilizer prices, as well as rising labor costs and rental costs for agricultural machinery.

The government set a purchasing price of Rp 4,200 per kilogram of dry rice grain, while farmers calculated a production cost of Rp 5,000 per kg.

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> Rice Procurement for Government Reserves Hampered

> Lurking Loss for Farmers before the Harvest

The issue has been perennial for rice farmers and resurfaces each year. They have been again left with impending losses. Since their livelihood depends on rice, most farmers are still classified as poor.

In 1970, professor Mubyarto and researcher Dr. Lehman B Fletcher from Iowa State University reported the results of their study on rice cultivation in Java and Madura. The government launched a rice production program in 1964 to meet the needs of members of the armed forces and employees of important companies, as well as to stabilize market prices. But these goals were never achieved.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

Workers from Ngawi harvest rice in Pelem Gadung Village, Karangmalang, Sragen, Central Java, in the first harvest season, Wednesday (1/3/2023).

The failure was attributed to four factors. First, not all agricultural land had adequate irrigation and farmers did not have enough capital. Second, the government's purchasing price was lower than free market prices. Third, the government was unable to compete with affluent farmers and traders in procuring the grain. Fourth, dishonesty and corruption prevailed among government officials.

Since Indonesia gained independence, the government has strictly regulated the price and distribution of rice. The nation lives on rice as a staple food. The government hopes that achieving rice self-sufficiency and stable prices will maintain farmers’ enthusiasm in planting rice. Rice has both a strategic and political role. However, rice self-sustainability and self-sufficiency has never been achieved. The welfare of farmers as rice producers have not improved, either. The exchange rate of rice continues to decline relative to industrial products, education cost, and the prices of basic necessities.

Also read:

> Rice Surplus, Adequacy and Reserves

We are now faced with increasingly challenging uncertainties that arise from climate change, population growth, and human advancement. It's not too late for us to revise our food security strategy. We should not rely too much on rice as a staple food. Our goal should be to become self-sufficient in cultivating crops rich in carbohydrates. We have an abundance of local foods that are high in nutrients. About one-fifth of the carbohydrate we consume are noodles, with some made from sago or cassava flour.

Food diversification by exploiting carbohydrate-rich sources will mitigate the impacts of climate change and population growth, as well as contribute to a more sustainable environment, considering that paddy fields emit methane. At the same time, we also have to diversify our sources of protein from both vegetables and animals, such as local fish, livestock and poultry.

This article was translated by Musthofid.