"Physical special allocation fund activities in agriculture include the first being special allocation fund thematic development of Food Estate, with an indicative ceiling of Rp650 billion spread across 48 districts and cities," Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo remarked during a working meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives at the Senayan Parliament Building here on Thursday.
Budget for the improvement of food production centers was allocated, with an indicative ceiling of Rp1.65 trillion that will be used for agriculture, irrigation development, road infrastructure, forestry, and marine and fishery cultivation.
Special allocation fund for agriculture was aimed at improving all levels within the integrated corporate-based food production areas as a means to reinforce food security and national economic recovery as well as to improve regional capacity in the development of corporate-based food production areas.
The government, through the Agriculture Ministry, had also allocated a ceiling of Rp300 billion for non-physical funding in the 2023 fiscal year. The budget will be utilized for the development of the Sustainable Food Garden Program, agricultural operational costs for agricultural guides, and operational costs for medical centers for the purchase of medicines and vaccines.
"For non-physical special allocation fund in food security and agriculture aspects in 2023, some 1,255 community groups in 337 districts and cities with stunting prevalence have seen an increase in food security at the household scope," Minister Limpo pointed out.
The non-physical fund will also be allocated to 5,782 agricultural centers for meeting the operational costs in 508 districts and cities that submitted the agricultural information data reporting and 933 animal medical centers in 417 districts and cities assigned to improve animal medical services in existing work units.
The ministry's budget ceiling for 2023 is Rp15.42 trillion that will be focused on four agricultural work programs, the minister remarked.
The programs in question are access to and consumption of quality food, value-added programs and industrial competitiveness, vocational education and training programs, and management support programs.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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