Impor Jagung RI Turun 66%, Malaysia Salut pada `Kejayaan` Upsus Pajale
Malaysia Applaud Success of Indonesia Reduced Imports of Maize
Editor : M. Achsan Atjo
Translator : Dhelia Gani
MENTERI Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani Malaysia, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek memenuhi janjinya berkunjung ke Jakarta, untuk menemui Menteri Pertanian RI Andi Amran Sulaiman setelah terinspirasi oleh ´kejayaan´ Indonesia berhasil menekan impor jagung hingga 66% pada 2016, dari 3,5 juta ton pada 2015 melalui program Upsus Pajale, sementara Malaysia masih mengimpor jagung senilai RM3 miliar (Rp13 triliun) pada 2016.
"Saya begitu terinspirasi dengan kejayaan yang ditunjukkan Indonesia, dari negara pengimpor jagung akhirnya sekarang mampu mencukupi untuk kegunaan sendiri. Malaysia sekarang masih hampir seratus peratus tergantung pada impor dan mengambil sangat jauh. Bukan mustahil untuk kita bangunkan sendiri berdasarkan keupayaan yang telah ditunjukkan oleh Indonesia. Kenapa tidak boleh mencontoh kejayaan Indonesia?" kata Menteri Shabery Cheek dengan dialek Melayu ketika menjawab pers didampingi oleh Mentan Amran Sulaiman di Jakarta pada Jumat (3/3).
Dia menambahkan, sudah lama berkeinginan menyambangi Mentan Amran Sulaiman di kantornya di Jakarta, untuk menindaklanjuti pembicaraan bilateral pada Pertemuan Menteri Pertanian dan Kehutanan ASEAN (ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry/AMAF) di Singapura pada 5 Oktober 2016.
"Saya sebenarnya sudah lama terpanggil untuk bertemu Mr Amran Sulaiman, hari ini keinginan itu terwujud dan bertemu secara akrab, dan dilayani sebagai tamu istimewa menunjukkan betapa eratnya hubungan Indonesia dan Malaysia," Menteri Shabery Cheek.
Joint Working Group
Mentan Amran Sulaiman mengatakan kerjasama pertanian Indonesia dan Malaysia digagas melalui memoranda kesepahaman (MoU) Pertanian yang diteken pada 24 Juni 2014 di Bandung, kemudian diikuti dengan membentuk Forum Bilateral untuk memfasilitasi komunikasi kedua negara untuk merancang komitmen tindak lanjut seperti tertuang pada MoU tersebut.
"Forum Bilateral tersebut kemudian dinamai Joint Working Group on Agriculture yang meliputi kerjasama hortikultura, tanaman pangan, peternakan, dan perkarantinaan," kata Amran Sulaiman.
Dia menambahkan, menanggapi permintaan Malaysia untuk mengadakan pertemuan ke-4 Joint Working Group on Agriculture (JWG) pada 29-30 Maret 2017 di Malaka, Malaysia bahwa Kementerian Pertanian RI menyambut baik inisiatif Malaysia seperti disampaikan Menteri Shabery Cheek.
"Dalam pandangan kami, forum ini sangat penting bagi kedua negara sebagai media formal, dimana kedua belah pihak sepakat duduk bersama untuk mendiskusikan rencana aksi dari kerjasama tersebut, diikuti pemantauan perkembangan dari pelaksanaannya dan pada saat bersamaan dapat mengatasi berbagai permasalahan yang berkembang dari kerjasama kedua negara di bidang pertanian," kata Mentan Amran Sulaiman.
Jalan Panjang Berliku
Mentan Amran Sulaiman mengapresiasi kunjungan dan keinginan Malaysia untuk mengadopsi Upsus Pajale dari Indonesia, meski pada awalnya strategi Kementan untuk mencapai swasembada pangan dipandang ´sebelah mata´ oleh beberapa pihak, dan hal itu dia tanggapi secara bijak, karena tugasnya sebagai menteri di Kabinet Kerja Presiden Joko Widodo untuk merumuskan, menetapkan, melaksanakan kebijakan pertanian dan pelaksanaan kegiatan teknis yang berskala nasional.
Dia menggagas strategi meningkatkan produksi pangan strategis: padi, jagung dan kedelai disingkat Pajale, dan menyebut ketiga komoditas harus ´masuk ICU´ karena selama ini kebutuhan nasional lebih tergantung pada produk impor.
Menanggapi kritik dan komentar miring atas program Pajale, "Lebih baik orang lain yang menilai kerja keras saya. Saya sudah wakafkan diri saya untuk bangsa dan negara," kata Amran Sulaiman dalam berbagai kesempatan dialog dengan pers.
Staf Ahli Menteri Bidang Inovasi dan Teknologi Pertanian, Mat Syukur menilai apresiasi dan pengakuan dari negara lain seperti Malaysia menunjukkan bahwa Kementan di bawah kepemimpinan Andi Amran Sulaiman mampu memenuhi target Presiden Jokowi untuk mencapai swasembada pangan.
"Pengakuan Malaysia menunjukkan bahwa Upsus Pajale bukan hanya diakui sukses di dalam negeri tapi juga di mancanegara," kata Mat Syukur yang didampingi Karo Humas dan Informasi Publik Kementan, Agung Hendriadi dan Tenaga Ahli Mentan bidang Budidaya Pertanian, Baran Wirawan.
MALAYSIAN Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek keep promises visit to Jakarta for bilateral talks with Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman after being inspired on the ability of Indonesia suppress maize imports by 66% in 2016, in 2016, from 3.5 million tons in 2015 through special efforts, locally known as the Pajale, while Malaysia still import of corn 3 billion ringgit Malaysia until last year.
"I was so inspired by the success of Indonesia, as a country of importation of maize and is now able to meet their own needs. It is not impossible Malaysia will also be able to like Indonesia with its own ability to reduce the import of maize. There is nothing wrong to follow the success of Indonesia," Minister Shabery Cheek told the press with a Malay dialect, and he was accompanied by Minister Sulaiman here on Friday (March 3).
He added, had long wanted to meet with Minister Sulaiman at his office in Jakarta to follow up bilateral talks at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Singapore on October 5, 2016.
"I have long wanted by Mr Amran Sulaiman, it happened today and meet familiar, I was with an entourage served as a special guest, it shows the close ties of Indonesia and Malaysia," Minister Shabery Cheek said.
Joint Working Group
Minister Sulaiman said agricultural cooperation Indonesia and Malaysia initiated through memoranda of understanding (MoU) of Agriculture signed on June 24, 2014 in Bandung, followed by a bilateral forum to facilitate communication between the two countries, to design a follow-up commitment in accordance MoU.
"Bilateral Forum was named Joint Working Group on Agriculture is divided for horticulture, food crops, livestock, and quarantine," he said.
He added, in response to Malaysia´s request to hold meeting of the 4th Joint Working Group on Agriculture on 29 to 30 March 2017 in Malacca, the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry supported the initiative of Malaysia as stated by Minister Shabery Cheek.
"In our view, this forum is very important for both countries as formal media to discuss the action plan of cooperation, followed by monitoring the progress of implementation, and at the same time to solve the problems of the agricultural sector cooperation between the two countries," Mr Sulaiman said.
The Long and Winding Road
Minister Sulaiman appreciated intention of Malaysia to adopt Upsus Pajale of Indonesia, although initially the Indonesian strategy to achieve self-sufficiency in food, especially of maize criticized by a number of parties, and Mr. Sulaiman confessed to respond wisely, because his job as minister in the Working Cabinet of Joko Widodo administration to formulate, establish, implement the policy and implementation of technical activities at the national scale.
He initiated the strategy of increasing production of strategic food: rice, corn and soybeans abbreviated Pajale, and called the three commodities must enter ´ICU´ because Indonesia depend on imported products.
Responding to criticism and false comments on the Pajale program, "Let others judge my work. I´ve been sincerely working for the state and nation," said Minister Sulaiman in various occasion dialogue with the press.
Expert Staff to Minister of Innovation and Technology Sector of Agriculture, Mat Syukur added appreciation and recognition from other countries such as Malaysia showed that the ministry under the control of Andi Amran Sulaiman was able to meet the target of President Widodo to achieve food self-sufficiency.
"The recognition of Malaysia showed that Upsus Pajale recognized not only domestically, but abroad as well," said Mat Syukur, who was accompanied by Head of Public Relations and Public Information, Agung Hendriadi and Experts Agricultural Cultivation in ministry, Baran Wirawan.
