Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, releases a regulation to support local farmer. Starting in 2019 Hotel and restaurants must buy local farming products. Payment should be done in cash and the price should be at least 20% up of the production cost. “The governor regulation (Pergub) is already finish and it is on the process to be examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Jakarta, I hope it will be approved by the end of this year. If this Pergub� is approved, it will give big impact to the community especially farmer. Bali farmer no need to worry about how to sell their products”. said Wayan Koster, the Governor of Bali.
“Payment of the farming products cannot be delayed, it should be by cash only.� Perusahaan Daerah or�Perusda (company belong to the Bali government) will be get involved. “If the hotel cannot pay in cash, Perusda can be a middle man. Technically the hotel will buy products from Perusda which allowed the to payment delay as long as 1 month meanwhile�Perusda will pay the farmer by cash. Hotel cannot buy directly to the farmer if the payment is not cash, we feel pity to the farmers”.� Koster emphasize.
“Buying local fruits is a mandatory for the hotel in Bali. Not like today, everything is imported. papaya, durian, chicken etc. I feel pity for the local farmer. In Buleleng we have grape plantation, in Karangasem we have salak (snakeskin fruit), in Kintamani we have orange. Why don’t we empower our local farmer to supply such local fruits to the hotel? Later on they have to buy from local farmer.”
Koster said if the tourism in Bali advance, the farming in Bali should be in advance as well. Tourism and farming are connected. “Tourism able to bring forward the economy till 70% meanwhile the farming sector just increasing the economy 14% only. This is a problem. So I make policy to protect our farmer”.� “So far when harvest time of orange season, the farmer doesn’t get profit as they hope because their product sell cheaply, hotel doesn’t buy it. I affirm, government is here for the Bali people so our farmer will get benefit when the tourism is advance”.