By: Indra Ismawan) *
Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) researcher Arief Nugraha said, fertilizer is one of the important elements in agriculture and is used to maximize the yield of farmers.
When the planting season arrives, of course there are certain times for farmers to use fertilizer. Therefore fertilizer must be available right at the time of fertilization because it will have an impact on farmers’ yields.
Some constraints that are often experienced include scarcity and late distribution of subsidized fertilizers. These problems can certainly lead to suboptimal yields and hamper farmers’ productivity.
Problems with the distribution of subsidized fertilizers often make fertilizer unavailable when farmers want to use fertilizer. This certainly adds to the problems of farmers because they have no other choice.
If the fertilizer does not come, then they will certainly be forced to use non-subsidized fertilizer at a price that is much more expensive than non-subsidized fertilizer. Where subsidized fertilizer has a price that is much more affordable compared to non-subsidized fertilizers such as Urea, NPK and other brands.
For farmers who have strong capital, they might still be able to buy non-subsidized fertilizer. But this is not necessarily the case with farmers with weak capital. Farmers with small capital will certainly have difficulty buying non-subsidized fertilizer because the price is not affordable.
Therefore, the government needs to conduct a review of the distribution of subsidized fertilizers. Problems related to subsidized fertilizer if not addressed can certainly disrupt the productivity of the agricultural sector where fertilizer is an important component in it.
To overcome problems related to the scarcity of subsidized fertilizer, the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture (Ministry of Agriculture) continues to look for solutions to deal with these problems. One of them is by holding a Forum Discussion Group (FGD) which discusses government policies related to the highest retail price (HET) and the distribution of Subsidized Fertilizers.
The FGD was attended by stakeholders handling subsidized fertilizers, such as the Head of the Agriculture Service from a number of regions, fertilizer producers such as Indonesian Fertilizers and Petrochemical Gresik, and agricultural extension workers.
According to Sarwo Edhy as the Ministry of Agriculture’s Ministry of Agriculture’s Infrastructure and Facilities (PSP), a concrete program is needed to suppress the problem, such as perfecting the E-RDKK and Farmers Card program, so that it is expected that there will be no scarcity of subsidized fertilizer, because the quota to be given will be in accordance with the respective regional proposals.
He added, if the allocation of subsidized fertilizer in an area in the current month is insufficient, then distribution can be done using the remaining allocation of the previous month, or from the allocation of the following month by not exceeding the allocation for one year.
Meanwhile, Director of Fertilizers and Pesticides Directorate General of PSP, Muhrizal Sarwani said, according to government regulations, the distribution of subsidized fertilizer is only aimed at farmers or only farmer groups that have compiled e-RDKK.
It also said, along with PT Pupuk Indonesia as the holder of production rights and distribution of subsidized fertilizers, always carry out intensive supervision of the distribution of subsidized fertilizers.
In accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Agriculture, fertilizer producers are required to store up to the needs of the next 2 weeks. But in practice, the manufacturer has prepared a stock equivalent to the stock for the next month.
Besides escorting subsidized fertilizer distribution to farmers is assisted by extension officers in each region to monitor and report the conditions and / or planting period, so that the distribution of subsidized fertilizer can be in accordance with its designation.
On different occasions PT Pupuk Indonesia and the fertilizer kiosk owner have signed a purchase agreement to ensure the availability and distribution of subsidized fertilizer.
The signing was witnessed by Sarwo Edy and Managing Director of PT Pupuk Indonesia, Aas Asikin Idat.
According to Aas. Indonesian Fertilizer has determined that the stock is twice the stipulation or is sufficient to fulfill fertilizer needs in the next 1 month, the stock exceeds the Ministry of Agriculture which stipulates that fertilizer needs must be maintained for the next 2 weeks. This effort is certainly expected by farmers to easily obtain subsidized fertilizer.
) * The author is an agricultural observer