The country’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, 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 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. — Bloomberg
