PACITAN, KOMPAS.com - Bakal calon presiden Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDI-P) Joko Widodo alias Jokowi menyempatkan diri untuk "nongkrong" di sawah saat berkunjung ke Ngawi, Jawa Timur, Senin (31/3/2014).

Ternyata Jokowi penasaran, ingin mengetahui jenis padi yang ditanam para ibu-ibu petani di daerah itu. "Ya tadi saya kan jalan di mobil melihat petani lagi pada nandur (menanam padi) Saya tanya yang ditandur IR berapa? Ternyata itu IR 64," kata Jokowi di Pacitan, Senin malam.

Jokowi melanjutkan dia mendapatkan penjelasan dari para petani bahwa dengan menanam padi IR 64 itu, mereka bisa melakukan panen padi dua kali dalam setahun. Meski demikian, nenurut Jokowi, varietas tersebut sudah jauh tertinggal.

"Mestinya kalau riset dan pengembangan diperkuat, akan ada varietas baru yang dalam setahun bisa tiga kali panen. Atau dari sehektar tanah bukan hanya dapat 5-6 ton, tapi bisa sampai 15 ton," jelas Jokowi.

"Di tataran research and development itu memang harus dibandingkan dengan negara tetangga, sama Thailand itu udah kejauhan. Ini yang harus segera dibenahi," tambahnya.

Pemerintah selama ini, meurut Jokowi, terlalu fokus kepada masalah pupuk. Namun varietas tanaman sendiri, kerap tidak diperhatikan oleh pemerintah.

"Padahal permasalahannya tidak hanya disubsidi pupuk, mestinya konsentrasinya masalah pengembangan varietas unggul," pungkas Jokowi.

Seperti biasanya, kehadiran Jokowi di sawah ini juga mengundang perhatian masyarakat. Mereka bersama para wartawan mengerubungi Jokowi yang nongkrong di pinggiran sawah itu. Akibatnya, terdapat beberapa benih padi yang terinjak-injak. Jokowi pun mengganti kerugian para petani itu.

Pada akhir pekan ini, Jokowi kembali menjadi juru kampanye PDI-P. Dia dijadwalkan mengikuti kampanye pemilu legislatif di beberapa kota di Banten, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah dan Jawa Timur dan Banjarmasin.

Rangkaian kegiatan kampanye Jokowi dimulai pada Kamis (27/3/2014) malam dan akan berlangsung hingga malam ini. Pada Jumat, dia telah mengajukan cuti kepada Kementerian Dalam Negeri. Sementara Senin adalah hari libur nasional Hari Raya Nyepi.

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Technical Services: Low Expenditures on Agricultural Research
Indonesia’s agricultural research expenditures have declined dramatically since the early 1990s compared to its neighbors. The immediate challenges for the agricultural research system are to:
1.Increase the overall level of national research expenditure;
2.Clarify the public funding responsibility for the sub-national adaptation institutes;
3.Counter decentralization’s effect of increasing the administrative overhead costs of this sub-national system;
4.Ceplace the significant proportion of senior researchers nearing retirement;
5.Integrate private sector agricultural research capacity as part of a national strategy; and
6.Strengthen capacity in biotechnology resources and effort to give growing emphasis to non-rice commodities.

Agricultural Extension
Indonesia faces a major challenge to develop an effective institutional mechanism for disseminating technology relevant for small scale producers.

While there is less experience in new models of agricultural advisory services, there is growing evidence of significant benefits to decentralized extension systems that involve the private sector and civil society.

Privatized extension services will assume greater importance in the dryland cash cropping sub sector in Eastern Indonesia since exportable commodity production is being increasingly supported by the private sector. Educational qualification levels of public extension agents are being improved, but compensation appears to be deteriorating with decentralization, with attrition of the more capable personnel seeking other employment. Poor linkages between agricultural research and extension has militated against both ensuring focus on farmers’ problems while setting the research agenda, and effective dissemination of research results.

The Extension Law (Law No. 16/2006) that was passed recently explicitly recognizes the need for a multi-provider system for the delivery of agricultural services to increase the competitiveness of the Indonesian agricultural sector and improve farmer incomes.


Local Governance

The ongoing decentralization process since 2001 has resulted in financial resources, personnel and responsibilities for delivery of basic services being devolved to district governments.

In September 2004, the decentralization laws were revised with the passage of Laws 32 and 33/2004. The key significant changes introduced by the last include direct election of regional heads, review of district budgets by the province on behalf of the central government, a greater role for the province in monitoring of district performance, and new requirements on local borrowing. However, most district-level funds are being allocated for routine rather than developmental expenditures and the potential for misuse of public funds is also high.

Overall, the environment for “good governance” at the local level is weak and corruption similar to the national situation is endemic.


Rural Infrastructure

Investment in rural infrastructure has seen a significant slowdown resulting in a deterioration of existing facilities. Village to market access roads are critical for the rural poor, and for supporting the intensification of agriculture.

Kabupaten roads make up 72 percent of the classified road network; almost half of this network is in poor or bad condition, and only 19 percent is in good condition. Initiatives for developing rural information and communication technologies provide an exciting opportunity for disseminating information to the rural communities, improving research and extension linkages, and promoting rural growth.

Microfinance

Microfinance in Indonesia is operating in a policy vacuum preventing stakeholders from aligning their efforts and creating a sustainable microfinance system. A national policy on microfinance is needed overcome the current restrictions by creating an enabling environment, which will allow existing microfinance institutions to fill the gaps of demand and supply, predominantly in rural areas.


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