An article in Bali Daily.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika suggested that farmers be given incentives, in a bid to reestablish the island’s diminishing agriculture sector.

“Many people have been complaining about the worsening condition of Bali’s agriculture, with high rates of land conversion and a lack of farmers as they stop cultivating their land,” he said here Tuesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He had said previously that incentives would be implemented, with the government providing a tax subsidy for farmers.

“If people are willing to farm, we will provide the incentives.”

He admitted that it was difficult to attract people to work in agriculture, especially the young generation.

In addition to the low income, farmers are also facing the problem of paying high property taxes because many hotels are now built around farmland.

“Land conversion rises because people don’t want to be farmers amid all these problems,” Pastika said.

Data from the provincial Agriculture Agency said that land conversion from 2011 to 2012 reached 119 hectares. In 2011, Bali had a total of 81,744 hectares of farmland, while in the following year it had decreased to 81,625 hectares.

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