Putro Santoso Kurniawan Chairman, association of Indonesian Farmers' Cooperatives
Chemical fertilizers only provide temporary prosperity

TO promote organic farming these past three years, Putro Santoso Kurniawan has been managing the 100-member Association of Indonesian Farmers' Cooperatives in Bogor, West Java. Through these cooperatives, farmers can sell their produce directly to consumers. "This is our way of ensuring that the prices of organic products remain accessible to the farmers," said 40-year-old Putro, a graduate of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture. He claims the limited production at the moment and the long supply chain have made organic products expensive to consumers. "This process benefits the distributors," said Putro, but discourages buyers. As a result, farmers become discouraged and in the end, many choose to go back to using chemical-based fertilizers.

Two weeks ago, Putro spoke with Tempo English by telephone on a number of ways and strategies of spreading the concept of organic farming and how to make it succeed. Excerpts:

December 8, 2015