Sumedang – Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto recounted the beginning of his concern for agriculture since he was active in the Indonesian National Army (TNI).
He revealed this when attending the ‘Guidance for Agricultural Extension Workers and Farmers and Participatory Food Estates in West Java Province to Support the Increase in National Rice and Corn Production’ in Sumedang, on Tuesday (30/1).
At the beginning of his speech, he reminded the attending soldiers that farmers played a crucial role during the Indonesian independence war. This is because farmers indirectly supported the war effort by providing harvests to keep the soldiers strong.
“The TNI and all the soldiers here, we must remember that without farmers there would be no army, without food we cannot go to war. We defend this country because we are supported by farmers everywhere. When Indonesia was fighting for independence, there was no budget, no national budget, nothing, no currency,” he said.
“(When) we gained independence, issues related to power transfer were arranged later, but we gained independence first. Who fed our soldiers? Who fed our fighters? It was the farmers all over Indonesia,” said Prabowo.
In line with this, when serving as the Commander of the Strategic Reserve Command (Pangkostrad), Prabowo ordered all his battalions to work on their agricultural needs independently by utilizing available land.
“No land should be left idle, no land should go uncultivated because food is a strategic necessity, not a commodity,” said Prabowo.
Even in retirement, Prabowo chose to continue caring about agriculture by leading the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), mentoring the Leading Farmers and Fishermen Contact Group (KTNA), and serving as the Chairman of the Board of the Village Cooperative Main Unit (INKUD) to this day.
“I retired from the army, I led HKTI, and until now I am still the Chairman of KTNA, I am still in the Village Cooperative Main Unit, that’s why I pay very, very close attention to agricultural issues,” he added.
“All issues related to food production are very strategic issues for the Indonesian nation,” he concluded. (SENOPATI)
