"There must be a dam, because if the printing of new rice fields without water is how to grow rice," he said in Ambon on Saturday.
He explained, all this time the rice fields that have been made in several locations in Buru and Central Maluku regencies that have already been planted are upland types. This is intended to keep the land from being overgrown with reeds.
"Hopefully the plan to build a dam at Waiapo River has been promised by the Central Government in this case the Ministry of Agriculture in the not-too-distant future so that it can be used for irrigating paddy fields that have been printed," he said.
Diana explained that all this time cooperation with the military for making new rice fields has been carried out since 2016 in several regions in Maluku, even in 2018 Maluku has a 400-hectare ration and has been printed by the TNI covering 352 hectares on 237 hectares of Buru Island and in Central Maluku 115 hectares.
"If in 2016 Maluku gets a quota of 1,525 hectares spread in Central Maluku Regency and East Seram Regency (SBT), each of the 600 hectares of rice fields, and Buru Island 325 hectares," he said.
Whereas in 2017 got an area of ??3,000 hectares but hit by land problems as happened in 2016 then only 697 hectares were spread on Buru Island and Seram Island.
"So we really need a dam that can be used to irrigate rice fields, without water, how can the rice fields that have been printed can be used," he said.
Diana also added that cooperation with the military was not only to produce rice fields but also corn and soybeans, but not for soybeans in Maluku, we only developed rice and corn.
Reporting by Shariva Alaidrus
Editing by Eliswan Azly
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
