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CNRT Outlines Issues on Agriculture

Dili – 22nd June 2007

CNRT today outlined the need for radical new Agricultural policy in the face of falling cereal production and reliance on imported goods and international assistance. This is not indicative of a successful agricultural policy as Fretilin claims.

A special report prepared by FAO/WFP on food supply assessment dated June 2007 estimates that production of cereals, cassava and other tubers has contracted by 25-30 per cent over the last year. This includes a decrease of 30 per cent in Maize production and a 20 per cent drop in Rice production – East Timor’s two most important crops. Total crop production is estimated at 124,469 tonnes, well below total utilization of 210,833 tonnes.

The report estimates a cereal deficit for 2007/2008 of 86,364 tonnes, taking into account commercial imports expected at 71,000, a Government purchase of 16,000 tonnes for strategy reserve this leaves 15,364 tonnes to be sourced through food assistance. The report states that some 220,000 vulnerable rural people will require emergency food assistance between October 2007 – March 2008.

In February and March this year East Timor experienced a severe rice crisis, where the price spiked and there was virtually no rice available in the market. The FAO/WFP report highlights issues with a lack of management of determinants of food security, calling for improved food policies, strategies and implementation mechanisms.

Today, the government estimates that East Timor requires 83,000 metric tons of rice per annum, based on a calculation of only 90 kilograms per capita, as opposed to the figures of between 133 and 149 kilograms per capita used in Indonesia. Of the 83,000 metric tons needed, the Ministry of Agriculture calculates that domestic production is only 40,000 metric tons. This figure may in fact be exaggerated. In the early 1990s rice production in East Timor surpassed 55,000 metric tons for four years in a row, but then fell to an average of 41,000 metric tons per year. Since 1999, however, a combination of factors – failure to maintain irrigation systems, migration from rural to urban areas, high costs for inputs, and higher wages – suggest that the current estimate of 40,000 metric tons per year is not realistic.

CNRT recognises that the development of East Timor’s agriculture is key to eliminating hunger, creating employment and stimulating the nations economy. CNRT will focus on increasing production and productivity across all areas of agriculture through regional and local programs to assist and educate farmers. CNRT recognises the need to assist farmers in moving from a subsistence farming model to a more intensive, industrialised model.

CNRT recognises that in addition to increasing productivity on existing farmland, new areas must be opened up and irrigation systems developed. Areas such as the south coast provide ideal rice growing conditions that need to be developed into productive farmland. Regional rice storage facilities must be created and the road infrastructure improved to facilitate the movement of goods. This will allow for the creation of local markets for the sale and distribution of goods, making farming a more viable livelihood for the rural population.

Local breeding centres must be developed to establish suitable crops for the regions and provide access to quality seeds for local farmers. This will not only increase productivity, but also the quality of the harvest. These should be backed up by local agricultural advisors in villages to provide guidance and assistance to ensure farmers generate the maximum return on their crops.

Irrigation systems have been neglected and require significant investment to ensure that optimal growing conditions can be achieved in agricultural areas. This means the introduction of new modern irrigation systems into existing and new agricultural centres.

CNRT also calls for the diversification of crops, farmers need to look at growing a variety of food sources such as maize and potatoes in addition to rice.

Timor has a rich tradition of Coffee production, its produce has been known to grace the table of the Queen at Buckingham palace. In recent years coffee yield has decreased through mismanagement. The current system has a single institution to purchase the crop, this denies the farmers a free market to create demand for their product. We need to look at mechanisms to market East Timorese coffee on a global scale and generate awareness and demand around the quality of our product.

This is true of our other export products such as candlenut, coconut and sandalwood, we need to market our produce and expand our export network and partners to generate demand and ensure a competitive return for our farmers.

Dionisio Babo Soares stated, “Fretilin may claim they have achieved much over the last five years, in Agriculture as in many other aspects of East Timor’s development, but the facts and figures paint a very different picture.

Five years on from attaining power we are still relying on imported goods and have seen no improvement in crop production despite their protestations and policies. We need to look at agriculture as a matter of priority and work with the people to develop new areas of production, identify new crops for harvest and implement modern practices to increase productivity. We will work to educate the youth on best practice farming methods and encourage them to use their education in a practical manner by farming the land. This requires a local focus and a consultative approach – two bastions of the CNRT method of government.

Ends.

For Further Information
CNRT Media Contact
T: +670 735 8696
E: cnrt.media@gmail.com
W: www.cnrt-timor.org

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