REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- While opening the 2017 National Working Meeting on agricultural development here on Thursday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) highlighted the crucial role of the agricultural sector in addressing poverty. "We can no longer view agricultural development with one eye. The agricultural sector must be developed as a tool to achieve common prosperity," the president remarked while opening the meeting at the Bidakara Hotel.

Jokowi admitted that although great challenges lie ahead for the agricultural sector, the government is optimistic that significant results will be visible in the next three to four years. In order to encourage increased agricultural production, the government has undertaken several steps, including distributing agricultural machinery and seeds as well as building reservoirs for irrigation.

The president believes that increasing the number of agriculture facilities can boost agricultural production in the country. "Take care of the irrigation network, in terms of primary, secondary, and tertiary canals. If 52 percent of the irrigation system, which is not functioning well, is repaired, more water will flow into the rice fields, and I strongly believe that it will drastically increase our agricultural output," Jokowi noted.

The head of state said if production has increased significantly, the government has been making preparations to manage surplus agricultural products through the construction of logistics and retail facilities. President Jokowi also expressed hope that the power of information technology and telecommunications can be used to better manage agricultural products directly to reduce the role of middlemen and to have control over the prices.

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