a-journey, a-dot

It should be an enjoyable morning with a healthy breakfast, low GI muesli, blendered LSA beans and soybean milk. But to my surprise.. no soybean. The milk seller apparently wasn’t show up for several days.. At the dinner, everyone’s favorites, tempe, was out too.  The fermented soybean cake had been missing in the nearby wet market for several days. In East Java, police arrested group of people that were accumulating a large amount of soybean in their warehouse.

Last week, soybean price was increase up to IDR 8500/kg from IDR 5000/kg or 70% increase. Cooking oil’s raise from IDR 8500/kg to IDR 11000/kg at local wet market. In Sulawesi, local bean rose from IDR 2000/kg to IDR 7000/kg Some seller claimed that their sales was down to 30%. Former President Megawati who is running for the 2009 election wasn’t forget to blow up ‘tempe’ issue during her informal campaign last week.

I am not sure if Megawati knows exactly what was going wrong. I personally hardly get impressed by all her  superficial statements, I think it just cheap tactics to gain popularity. If she knows… – She actually has bunch of experts inside the party whom can advise her- why isn’t she doing her homework and sharing to her fellow citizens (?). Not only her.. I’m afraid all the elite figures are acting such away.. Anyway, soybean is basic product in Indonesian food and oriental food as well for ages. Tempe, tahu (tofu), soybean ketchup and hundreds of menu are consumed almost everyday by most Indonesian for years. So the missing soya is kind of mystery for most of us.

Food security in Indonesia has been actively discussed and mentioned in public media for years. Quick search in the internet reveals this issue has been widely published and discussed since late 1990. in 2001, President Megawati, issued a food security council act. In 2002-03, Center for Development Study, Institut Pertanian Bogor, has warned that the council was not effective. Beside the ministry of agriculture, there are other authorities like Bulog (National Logistic Body) that has no synchronization with the ministry office or with food security council. Bulog that concern "only" on availability and price, is not under coordination of the food security council nor ministry of agriculture. While the last should be responsible to develop proper and adaptive agricultre and food security policy and strategy. Further comment on Bulog can be seen in Jurnal ekonomi rakyat . Is it hard for the elite figures to identify serious structural problem here?

In real world, the actions are not reflecting sense of urgency at all. University howl for more fund for its agricultural departments which suffer from inexperience and unqualified lecturer and lack of high profile students. The food security acts is not straightly govern land conversion. Law and order is somewhere when criminal businessman pirates forest and agriculture land, and political parties that only busy with their own interest and money. Thats all it is..

Unfortunately, before we even acknowledged such structural problems.. world has change rapidly. I’m quite surprise that the US contribute 50% of world’s soybean production. Brazil is the major producer of cane sugar. China is the major producer of corn. Those countries that has been ripe trillions of dollars from commodities started to align their strategy. US started concentrating their resources to pump up corn production by more than 40% in 2014 to anticipate ethanol demand. Brazil on the other hand is prioritizing cane for ethanol development. Commodities are no longer source of food but already be seen as energy replacement. In near future demand will increase along with increase on consumption and energy conversion. Increase in production might not enough to maintain price stability. Argentina, India, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Vietnam is reducing their export. Whilst Indonesia tend increase import commodities (and as well reduce state income by lowering or omitting the import tax).

Every year, 120,000 ha farm convert to other land use, and agriculture revitalization is not supported by infrastructure development: road, irrigation, drainage, etc which also damaged by disasters. 1.5 million ha of agricultural infrastructure built in last 20 years has not been revitalized or added. With all the internal and external factors in agricultural and food security, we already behind or under developed compare to other countries. Whoever running the government today or next year, either current President Susilo BY or his rival Megawati or anybody, ‘tempe’ is not a small issue and political commodity. But all must realize there are structural problems that waiting to be solved.

I am still enjoy my fried tempe and soybean milk. But my child will pay 10-15x higher for sure. I mourn the situation.. where we as an agriculture nation was forced to pay for all the ineffectiveness, dumb, and criminal in developing and managing food security. Nonetheless, We are all insecure.