POULTRYINDONESIA, Surakarta — Amid increasingly complex challenges in layer farming, representatives of associations and cooperatives of egg farmers from various regions, united under the “Rumah Bersama” (Shared House) initiative, called for the importance of consolidation and unity. This call was voiced during the forum “People’s Farmers Speak at the National Deliberation of Indonesian Smallholder Farmers” held in Surakarta on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

Chairman of the Presidium of the National Layer Farmers Association (PPN), Yudianto Yosgiarso, stated that challenges in smallholder farming are inevitable. However, he emphasized that such conditions should be addressed with a well-thought-out approach rather than reactive measures.

“In every struggle, there will always be obstacles. We don’t need to panic or act excessively. What we need is the right strategy to achieve our common goals,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining the collective spirit of farmers as the main foundation for strengthening the position of the smallholder layer farming sector. With around 4.1 million smallholder layer farmers in Indonesia, this sector plays a major role in providing nutritious food—especially eggs as an affordable source of protein—and in creating tangible employment opportunities across regions.

“For that reason, smallholder farming deserves protection from the state. It is not only about the economy but also about national food security,” he asserted.

One key point raised was the need to strengthen farmer institutions. Yudianto urged all elements of the farming community to begin considering the formation of a larger, more solid association with stronger bargaining power, similar to professional organizations in other sectors.

“Will we continue to move individually, or start building a greater collective strength? This is something we must think about,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Sejahtera Poultry Farmers Cooperative (KPUS) Kendal, Suwardi, highlighted that smallholder farming is currently under serious pressure. According to him, one root cause is the concentration of economic circulation in Jakarta, which leads to liquidity shortages in the regions. As a result, market activity in various areas has weakened.

“If regions are to grow, money must circulate locally, not be concentrated in Jakarta. What we see today is the opposite, leading to declining purchasing power and sluggish markets,” he said.

He added that this situation has also put pressure on egg prices at the farm level. According to him, the decline in prices is not solely due to oversupply but is also influenced by regional macroeconomic factors.

As an example, Suwardi mentioned reductions in central government transfers to regions, such as those experienced by Kendal Regency amounting to billions of rupiah. If this occurs broadly, the impact on public purchasing power would be significant.

On the other hand, he also pointed out the lack of recognition of smallholder farmers within policy structures. To date, there is still no direct representation of farmers in strategic government positions, such as expert staff or advisory teams.

“If that recognition were truly strong, there should be farmer representatives in policymaking. The reality is, until today, there are none,” he emphasized.

However, Suwardi also acknowledged that this condition is partly due to internal weaknesses among farmers themselves. Fragmentation among associations, cooperatives, and groups is seen as a major obstacle to building collective strength.

He encouraged all farmer groups to immediately undertake consolidation efforts, including accurate member data collection within each organization. This data is considered crucial as a strong basis for advocacy to the government.

“If we want to be heard, we must have clear data—how many farmers there are, where they are, and what their conditions are. So far, we haven’t seriously developed this,” he said.

He also proposed that “Rumah Bersama” serve as a platform for consolidation and advocacy for Indonesia’s smallholder layer farmers, supported by expert teams to develop data-based studies. These findings could then be presented to the government as a basis for more targeted policymaking.

“This data-driven approach is far more effective than relying solely on opinions or narratives circulating on social media,” he stressed.

Furthermore, Suwardi emphasized the importance of expanding communication channels with the government—not only through the Ministry of Agriculture but also with other institutions such as the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), the Ministry of Investment, and ministries responsible for food security and cooperatives.

“So far, we have focused only on the Ministry of Agriculture. In fact, development policies are also shaped in Bappenas and other ministries. If we don’t engage there, we will remain in a reactive position,” he explained.

In closing, Suwardi urged all farmers to set aside sectoral egos and build collective strength for the sustainability of smallholder farming in Indonesia.

“We must unite. With togetherness, we can fight for the sustainability of Indonesia’s smallholder farmers,” he concluded.

During the forum, various strategic issues were also discussed by representatives of associations and cooperatives from different regions, including egg self-sufficiency, anticipation of foreign investors entering the sector, feed raw material imports, corn dynamics as feed, breeding/DOC management, fluctuations in egg production and prices, as well as expectations for the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG).

At the end of the forum, participants agreed on the “Key Points of the National Deliberation of Indonesian Smallholder Layer Farmers”, which was signed by representatives of dozens of associations and cooperatives as a collective commitment to advancing the future of smallholder layer farmers in Indonesia.

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