3 days ago
Prabowo's state farms chief quits, citing Danantara as hurdle
JAKARTA: Indonesia's push to boost food self-sufficiency suffered a setback after the head of a state-owned farming firm resigned six months into the job, saying the company hadn't received any funding from the government of President Prabowo Subianto.
Joao Angelo de Sousa Mota (pic), a former activist affiliated with the president's political party, bowed his head and apologised to farmers and the nation as he announced his departure from PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara on Monday (Aug 11) in remarks broadcast by local station Kompas TV.
"We have yet to deliver tangible and direct contributions to the nation's economy or to improving farmers' welfare,' he said.
"The president's commitment to supporting and driving all efforts to unlock food sovereignty has not been fully supported by stakeholders or his aides,' he added, saying the company "still has zero budget.'
Mota singled out Danantara, a government strategic investment arm that manages Indonesia's state enterprises, for what he described as complicated bureaucracy, with repeated feasibility reviews that he said slowed progress.
Danantara Chief Executive Rosan Perkasa Roeslani said operations remained normal at the agricultural company and that a leadership transition would be smooth, without giving a timeline for naming a successor, according to state news agency Antara.
PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara is one of three related entities that are central to Prabowo's pledge to boost food security and cut imports in the world's fourth-most populous nation.
The company was formed in May from the restructuring of an engineering consultation company, and is tasked with overseeing plans for large-scale food estates and building an integrated supply chain from production to distribution.
The government allocated about 8 trillion rupiah US$490.7 million) this year for the venture and two others that are dedicated to boosting palm oil and fisheries production. - Bloomberg
