YOGYA – The BPS release stated that the percentage of poor people in DIY at the beginning of 2023 was 11.49 percent or in absolute terms, there were 463.63 thousand people. This figure has increased compared to conditions in March 2022, where the percentage of poor people at that time was 11.34 percent and the number of poor people was 454.76 thousand people.
This condition makes DIY the poorest region in Java, with a poverty rate above the national average of 9.57 percent. The Poverty Line in September 2022 was recorded at IDR 551,342.00/capita/month with a composition of the Food Poverty Line of IDR 398,363.00 (72.25 percent) and the Non-Food Poverty Line of IDR 152,979.00 (27.75 percent).
In September 2022, on average, poor households in DIY have 4.20 household members. When viewed on a household basis, the household poverty line reaches IDR 2,315,636.00/household/month.
From the BPS release it is very clear that the food poverty line dominates at 72.25 percent. So the solution needs to focus on fulfilling food calories for the poor.
Deputy Chairperson of the DIY DPRD, Huda Tri Yudiana said, the fulfillment of food calories needs to be prioritized for extreme poor or very poor people. This handling also needs to focus on the poorest areas, especially in Kulonprogo and Gunungkidul Regencies.
“So the handling of poverty needs to focus on two things in my opinion, firstly fulfilling the food calories of the poor, especially the extreme ones. Currently, various assistance has been provided to the poor in DIY, regarding food calories, there is BPNT which covers 380 households, more than around 960 thousand households in DIY. This means that the food calorie assistance already covers around 40 percent of households in DIY,” said Huda, Wednesday (18/1/2023).
The number of poor families in DIY in the DTKS is only around 160 thousand families, so that the assistance per meal provided is double that of the DTKS. However, Huda asked why DTKS provided food calories twice, but 11.49 percent of the poor.
If we take a deeper look, it turns out that the assistance is only around 200 thousand per family per month, so it has not been able to lift the extreme poor above the poverty line. According to BPS data, the poverty line for DIY per family is 2.3 million, while the food aid is only 200 thousand per family for raw materials, so it has not been able to lift 11.49 percent of the extreme poor above the poverty line.
“Our focus should be on adding food calorie assistance to the extreme poor, not through cash but with groceries in collaboration with local food stalls in hamlets, with a focus on extreme poor people to be lifted from the poverty line. The amount must also be significant enough to lift the poverty line above. Groups with severe disabilities, neglected parents and residents who are no longer able to work independently must receive priority income. These works must focus on and involve various levels of government and budget, both from the DIY APBD, city districts and privilege funds,” said Huda. (fxh)
DIY has become the poorest province in Java and the Council has given advice to prioritize food calorie assistance for the extreme poor. This is because the poverty rate in DIY is higher than the national average and the food poverty line dominates at 72.25 percent. The assistance needs to be significant enough to lift the poverty line above and involve various levels of government and budget. This would ensure that the extreme poor can be lifted from the poverty line.
