Penyuluh Pertanian Harus Fokus, Jangan Alih Tugas
Agricultural Extension Must Focus, Do not Change the Duty
Reporter : Gusmiati Waris
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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Padang (B2B) - Pemerintah daerah diminta tidak melakukan alih fungsi tugas penyuluh pertanian, karena peranannya sangat penting dalam mendorong menggerakkan petani untuk meningkatkan produksi pertanian.
"Di sebagian daerah setelah tenaga penyuluh pertanian diangkat menjadi pegawai negeri sipil atau PNS malah terjadi alih fungsi tugas. Bahkan ada yang menjadi anggota Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja atau Satpol PP," kata Menteri Pertanian Suswono saat membuka seminar nasional tentang Pengembangan Agribisnis Kakao di Padang, Sumatera Barat, Selasa (25/6).
Selain itu, kata Suswono, ada pula pula tenaga penyuluh pertanian pindah ke jabatan struktural, dan hal itu bisa saja terjadi lantaran kedekatan dengan kepala daerah.
Mentan mengingatkan, tenaga penyuluh pertanian jangan setelah diangkat menjadi PNS malahan meminta jabatan struktural di pemerintahan daerah setelah mendukung kemenangan bupati atau walikota.
"Tenaga penyuluh harus netral dan jangan ikut-ikutan berpolitik praktis, karena harus bekerja untuk semua golongan masyarakat tani," ungkap Suswono.
Suswono mengajak pemerintah daerah dan masyarakat untuk mengembalikan ´gengsi´ dari peran penyuluh pertanian, yang sukses mendukung peningkatan produksi pertanian.
"Kita harus mengembalikan gengsi penyuluh di masa lalu, karena sukses dan dirindukan kedatangannya oleh masyarakat tani," ujarnya lagi.
Padang (B2B) - Local governments are not required to transfer the function of agricultural extension, because their role is very important in encouraging farmers to increase agricultural production.
"In some areas after the agricultural extension officers appointed as civil servants in fact occurred over the function. Fact there is a member of Civil Service Police Unit or municipal police," said Agriculture Minister Suswono when opened a national seminar on Development of Agribusiness Cocoa in Padang, West Sumatra, Tuesday (25/6).
In addition, Suswono said, there are also agricultural extension workers to move to structural position, and it could happen because of closeness to local government leaders.
Minister of Agriculture warned, agricultural extension workers after appointed as civil servants do not even ask for structural positions in local government after support regents or mayors.
"Agricultural extension agent should be neutral and not involved in politics, because it must work for all classes of farm communities," said Suswono.
Suswono invites local governments and communities to restore the ´prestige´ of the role of agricultural extension, which successfully support increased agricultural production.
"We have to restore the prestige of agricultural extension in the past, because success and missed by the farming community," he said.
