By: Edi Jatmiko )*
The Job Creation Bill is very important to be promulgated, because it benefits not only workers and employers, but also farmers. The reason is that this bill states the ease of investing in agriculture. Farmers will benefit from being able to jointly manage their land with investors.
Indonesia is an agricultural country but unfortunately most of the farmers are not yet prosperous citizens. There are several things that cause this, ranging from summer and rainy months, which have the potential to cause crop failure, and less use of technology in farming. Even though farmers in America are already using sophisticated tools.
For the welfare of the farmers, the government regulates it in the Job Creation Bill. This bill apparently contains not only regulations for workers and employers, but also investment in agriculture. This draft law will change the rules in the Horticulture Law which are somewhat restricting foreign investment in agriculture.
According to data from the Investment Coordinating Board for 2019, investment in the agricultural sector is only 3% of total investment in Indonesia. This is sad because Indonesia has the potential to become a place for agricultural investment, because it has abundant natural resources. With the cooperation with investors, it can be processed better.
Felippa Ann Amanta, a researcher from the Center for Indonesia Policy stated that the Job Creation Bill will open up opportunities for investment, including in the agrarian sector. Because the agricultural sector continues to grow even though Indonesia is still in the Covid-19 pandemic. This bill contains the spirit of investment, and there are changes in regulations in the agrarian sector.
The article in the Job Creation Bill revises the rules in the agrarian law which somewhat limit investment in agriculture. If this bill has officially become a law, then foreign entrepreneurs can invest in Indonesia, including in the agrarian sector. Hopefully this can help advance the agricultural sector, so that we no longer import onions and other agricultural products.
The progress that is expected in the agricultural sector occurs because there is a transfer of knowledge from investors to owners of land or rice fields. So farmers are not only passive, but also taught how to manage land in a modern way. For example, using modern tractors, automatic harvesting machines, making artificial rain, calculating seasonal shifts, and so on.
When the Job Creation Bill was inaugurated, investors were also advised to teach other skills to farmers. For example, processing agricultural products so that they are more profitable, export procedures, internet marketing, and others. Farmers are no longer synonymous with a rustic image, but become smart and creative modern workers.
If farmers are taught new knowledge, it is hoped that Indonesia can return to being an agricultural country that produces rice and other agricultural products in abundance and quality results. Not only can rice self-sufficiency, but palawija and other agricultural products can be exported. So that they can prosper the farmers and they are not only the lower class people.
Therefore, the Job Creation Bill is very important to be passed into a Law. Because the farmers can benefit from the new rules in terms of investment. Investment is not only profitable financially, but also gives them new enthusiasm and knowledge. Farming is a prestigious and modern job.
The government strives to prosper all levels of society, including farmers. You do this by making a Work Creation Bill that allows investment in the agrarian sector. Farmers will benefit from being able to manage rice fields and gardens in a modern way, as well as being given new knowledge by foreign investors.
)* The author is a contributor to the Cikini Press Circle and Students