Even though there have been signs of recovery, the Indonesian economy still suffered a 2.19 percent contraction in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The year 2020 began with the largest pandemic in recent history, exactly 100 years after the Spanish flu pandemic that killed more than 50 million people in 1918-1920.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has announced that the economy contracted in the third quarter by 3.49 percent year-on-year (yoy), meaning that Indonesia has entered a recession.

If it gets passed, the omnibus bill on job creation, particularly its food and agriculture cluster, requires derivative regulations to ensure farmers’ welfare.

A number of farmers have delayed planting while others have decided to proceed with planting and leave the plants untreated.

Farmers have been under pressure due to the decline in commodity prices caused by the disruption of distribution and sluggish demand.

Dean Novel, 45, is obsessed with promoting the welfare of corn farmers in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

After being hit by drought last year, the farmers on West Java’s northern coast are now worried about floods and pest infestations.

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto has said that the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) will keep absorbing domestic production of rice and unhusked rice in order to stabilize farm-level prices.

The instruments for stabilizing farm-level rice prices are weakening in line with the shift in the food assistance model. The Bulog’s rice purchases continue to decline while the government selling price lags.