Smart Technology to Solve Subsidized Fertilizer Problems
Many parties such as fertilizer producers, distributors, official vendors and unscrupulous government officials have allegedly been involved in the distribution of the subsidized fertilizer.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
On 27 April 27, 1952, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the School of Agriculture of the University of Indonesia, now the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), Bung Karno made a speech about food.
Food is a matter of life and death for the nation. "We can increase our food supply, but not just by cynicism, not just by 'playing politics', but by extra hard work on the basis of understanding of how to solve this difficult problem," said Soekarno, Indonesia’s first president, popularly known as Bung Karno. Food is one of the most important things in life. For individuals, failure to obtain food will result in death. Meanwhile, for a country, failure to supply food can disrupt the stability of the nation.
We were surprised when we read an investigative report by Kompas daily on Thursday (27/1/2022) titled ”Farmers Switch from Cultivating Rice amid Subsidized Fertilizer Shortage”. Many farmers have switched to other crops. Of course, no one forbids that, but it will become a problem if more and more farmers switch from rice. We still eat more rice than other staple good such as bread or potatoes. Bung Karno mentioned the fertilizer problem a long time ago. However, the problem of the misappropriation of the subsidized fertilizer reported by Kompas is nothing new at all. It has happened again and again.
Many parties such as fertilizer producers, distributors, official vendors and unscrupulous government officials have allegedly been involved in the distribution of the subsidized fertilizer. Kompas also found that families of politicians were also involved in the distribution of the subsidized fertilizer. In fact, Bung Karno once said that such difficult problems could not only be solved by “playing politics”, but also by hard work. However, hard work is not enough, as it also needs smart technology to solve the problem.
One of those key areas, which Gujarat is currently trying to implement, is the implementation of block chains in the management of subsidized fertilizer.
The Indian government, for example, as of December 2021, identified 44 key areas that could implement block chain technology. One of those key areas, which Gujarat is currently trying to implement, is the implementation of block chains in the management of subsidized fertilizer.
With the block chain technology, the distribution of subsidized fertilizer will be more transparent because the transactions related to the subsidized fertilizer can be properly recorded. The transactions can be traced and cannot be manipulated and are easy to audit at any time. With such technology, the data of the targeted recipients of the subsidized fertilizer could not be manipulated and would be more reliable.
This block chain technology can also be used to trace the distribution flows. Chinese start-up VeChain, for example, uses block chain to track the “journey” of a bottle of wine such as the locations where the grapes are picked, processed and distributed.
Technology may be the solution to the problem of our subsidized fertilizer. It can be started by identifying the location and areas that receive subsidized fertilizers. Block chain technology can be integrated with the electronic Definitive Plan for Group Needs (e-RDKK) system (data on farmers’ subsidized fertilizer needs) and the use of Kartu Tani (farmers card). The application of advanced technology is very important because the misappropriation is believed to occur from the upstream to the downstream.
If the technology is applied, supervision of the distribution of subsidized fertilizer will be easier. The supervisory team can focus more on legal enforcement and ensure that the subsidized fertilizer reaches the targeted recipients.
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)