Sjarifuddin Baharsjah (16 May 1932 – 15 January 2021) was an Indonesian agricultural figure and academic from the

Bogor Agricultural Institute IPB University (, abbreviated as IPB; former English name: Bogor Agricultural University in the city of Bogor) is a state-run agricultural university based in the regency of Bogor Regency, Bogor, Indonesia. IPB has long been considered one of the ...

(IPB). He served as Minister of Agriculture of Indonesia and Independent Chairman of the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

(FAO) Council.

Early life and education

Sjarifuddin Baharsjah was born on 16 May 1932 in

Cirebon Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central J ...

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

, to Sutan Pangeran Baharsyah and Siti Fatimatul Zahra. His father, Sutan Pangeran Baharsyah, was a descendant of

Sultan Tangkal Alam Bagagar Daulat Yang Dipertuan Sultan Alam Bagagarsyah (1789 – 12 February 1849, in Batavia) was the last king of the Pagaruyung Kingdom. He was the grandson of Sultan Alam Muningsyah. He had four brothers and sisters: Puti Reno Sori, Tuan Gadih Tembon ...

, the last king of the

Pagaruyung Kingdom Pagaruyung (, other name: ''Pagaruyung Dārul Qarār''), also known as Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and Malayapura or Malayupura, was a kingdom that once stood in the island of Sumatra and the seat of the Minangkabau people, Minangkabau kings of ...

. The second of four children in a Muslim family, he had a sister named Leila Chairani Budiman and two brothers. According to his sister, Sjarifuddin was forced to learn female dances during his childhood because his mother said that "he was really pretty". Sjarifuddin graduated from high school in 1952. He then continued his studies at the Agricultural Economics Faculty of the

University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia (UI; ) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the Dutch East Indies when UI was established) ...

and graduated in 1960 with an engineer degree (Ir.). He studied at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

and graduated with a Master of Science degree in 1965. He then pursued a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in the

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

, which he obtained in 1973.

Career

Academic career

After his graduation from the University of Indonesia, Sjarifuddin taught at the

IPB University IPB University (, abbreviated as IPB; former English name: Bogor Agricultural University in the city of Bogor) is a state-run agricultural university based in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia. IPB has long been considered one of the "Big 5" univer ...

. Sjarifuddin was promoted to

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

in 1984.

Political career

Sjarifuddin began his career in the Department of Agriculture as the Head of the Research and Development Bureau for Agricultural Economics in 1977. He held the office for six years until he became the Secretary General of the department from 1983 until 1988. On 23 March 1988, President Suharto appointed him as the Junior Minister of Agriculture in the

Fifth Development Cabinet The Fifth Development Cabinet () was the Indonesian cabinet which served under President Suharto and Vice President Sudharmono from March 1988 until March 1993. The cabinet was formed after Suharto was elected to a 5th term as president by the Pe ...

. He was re-appointed in the

Sixth Development Cabinet The Sixth Development Cabinet () was the Indonesian cabinet which served under President Suharto and Vice President Try Sutrisno from March 1993 until March 1998. The Cabinet was formed after Suharto was elected to a 6th term as President by the ...

on 17 March 1993 as the Minister of Agriculture. Sjarifuddin ended his term after the formation of the

Seventh Development Cabinet The Seventh Development Cabinet () was the Indonesian cabinet which served under President Suharto and Vice President B. J. Habibie from 16 March 1998 to 21 May 1998. The term of this cabinet was supposed to end in March 2003, but due to student ...

on 14 March 1998 and he was replaced by his wife, Justika Baharsjah. Sjarifuddin was also appointed as a member of the

People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of a lower body, House of Representatives (DPR) and an upper body, Regional R ...

representing Golkar from the North Sumatra province. He was inaugurated on 1 October 1997 for a five-year term, but ended it on 1 October 1999 due to political reformation. Sjarifuddin became the Independent Chairman of the

(FAO) Council for the periods of 1997–1999 and 1999–2001.

Personal life

Sjarifuddin was married to Justika in 1962. The couple had two children, Gita Indah Sari and Antin.

Death

Sjarifuddin died at 00:12 WIB on 15 January 2021 in Pondok Indah Hospital, Jakarta.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baharsjah, Sjarifuddin Agriculture ministers of Indonesia 1932 births 2021 deaths People from Cirebon Golkar politicians