Indonesia is determined to increase its food production to meet domestic food needs, he said while addressing the event held at Jejangkit village, Barito Kuala district, South Kalimantan, on Thursday.
The country is also resolved to become the world's food barn following the launch of a program to make an optimum use of fresh water swampy land and tidal lowland, he said.
He said the government will always try to increase farm production because it is obliged to raise rice production to ensure food resilience.
Global food production must be doubled in 2050 to ensure adequate food stocks for the world population of more than 9 billion, he said.
The Indonesian population will reach 300 million in that year. The rising urbanization, coupled with a change in consumers' demand will put great pressure on the country's food system, he said.
To increase food production, the Agriculture Ministry is trying to make optimum use of fresh water swampy land and tidal lowland, he said.
"The land includes 4,000 hectares of fresh water swampy land at this village in South Kalimantan," he said.
Since it was opened as a pilot project in April 2018, nearly 750 hectares of farm land at Jejangkit Muara village have been planted with a variety of food crops, mostly rice, he said.
About 100 hectares of the farm land could be harvested coinciding with the commemoration of the 38th World Food Day, he said.
As part of a series of activities marking the event, Darmin Nasution, along with Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, South Kalimantan Governor H Sahbirin Noor and Barito Kuala District Head Hj Noormiliani as well as a number of ambassadors and representatives of neighboring countries attended the grand rice harvest.
Reporting by Ulul Maskuriah
Editing by Suharto
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
