Jakarta (Antara) - The government must control soybean prices, bring more areas under soybean cultivation, and improve Indonesia's soybean trading system in order to prevent the commodity's price from increasing time and again, according to a cabinet minister. "We need to expand the acreage of soybean plantation by at least 500 thousand hectares. The total area under soybean cultivation has not increased in along time," Agriculture Minister Suswono said at the Presidential Office here on Thursday. The minister made the statement when speaking about the recent spikes in soybean prices that forced tempe and tofu (fermented soybean cakes) manufacturers to halt production for three days. He noted that Indonesia was self-sufficient in soybean in 1992 when 1.6 million hectares in the country¿s farmlands were under soybean cultivation. Back then, Suswono continued, Indonesian farmers preferred to cultivate soybean because it was a more profitable commodity being priced 1.5 times higher than rice. Besides, the state logistics board Bulog had set a basic purchasing price for the commodity. "If the production cost per kg of soybean is Rp6,500, the thing that must be considered is what will be the margin for the farmers. Supposing the farmers are given a 30 percent margin, the price will then be approximately Rp8,500 per kg. Therefore, if a guarantee is given that the price will remain at that level, the farmers will cultivate soybean," the minister explained. "When the importation of soybean is allowed, control and protection is no longer there and the commodity¿s price fluctuates. After all, farmers will choose to grow crops that will benefit them. Therefore, they turn to sugarcane, rice, and maize. Soybean is the last choice," the minister explained. (*)

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Editor : Tunggul Susilo


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