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Agriculture Minister: Fourteen Companies Committed To Supporting Cultivation Of 500,000 Hectares Of Rice Fields
Thursday, 07 Nov 2024
The Agriculture Minister, Andi Amran Sulaiman, shared exciting news about plans to establish 500,000 hectares of rice fields in South Kalimantan. He pointed out that this area has great potential to support Indonesia's food supply.
"We've mapped out the land for these rice fields. If we pull this off, it will really enhance our food security," Amran stated during the 'Coordination Meeting for the People's Rice Field Program' in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Monday (November 4, 2024). He noted that the goal of 500,000 hectares will be tackled in phases.
In the initial phase, the Ministry of Agriculture will kick off the development of 152,291 hectares of rice fields in various districts, such as Hulu Sungai Selatan, Hulu Sungai Tengah, Hulu Sungai Utara, Tanah Laut, and Tapin. After that, they plan to expand to other regions in South Kalimantan.
"We need to take this seriously; we're aiming for a total of 500,000 hectares. I want to oversee each part later. If we can increase production two to three times, it will significantly boost our rice output," Amran added. He also mentioned that the development of these rice fields will incorporate technology for everything from land prep to planting, harvesting, and post-harvest activities.
The Ministry of Agriculture is teaming up with various companies to speed up the development of rice fields by providing essential agricultural tools and machinery. "Fourteen companies are on board to supply about 2,000 tools for this initiative. Our goal is to move quickly, and we've asked the Director General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities to wrap up contracts in 1-2 days, or at most 3 days," Amran mentioned.
At this event, the Ministry of Agriculture signed agreements with the Provincial Government of South Kalimantan, local district and city governments, military command, regional police, the High Prosecutor's Office, and Pupuk Indonesia. This signing marks a commitment to enhance rice field development, aiming to increase rice production and bolster national food security.
"President Prabowo Subianto has urged us to fast-track this important initiative to achieve food self-sufficiency," Amran added.
