Jakarta (ANTARA) - Newly inaugurated Agriculture Minister, Andi Amran Sulaiman, immediately started working by leading an internal consolidation meeting to discuss various solutions for farmers affected by the El Nino phenomenon.

"Starting from today, I will immediately carry out my duties," Sulaiman remarked after his inauguration at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday.

Sulaiman, who was earlier serving as agriculture minister for the 2014-2019 period, is planning an internal consolidation at his office to map out various opportunities to increase national agricultural production.

According to the minister, one of the opportunities came from the rain in several areas of eastern Indonesia, Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java on Tuesday evening to overcome drought in the agricultural land due to El Nino.

"We are happy with the rain. This is a good sign for us," he stated.

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In the internal consolidation agenda involving echelon 1, 2, and 3 officials, the minister will look for solutions to address various complaints from farmers.

"We received many complaints, one of them being a lack of fertilizer that could lead to decreased production," he stated.

He remarked that the meeting would resolve technical obstacles in the agricultural sector production process in Indonesia.

During his inauguration ceremony, Sulaiman echoed his commitment to upholding his oath of office in carrying out ethics and enforcing the law.

"We cannot mess with the oath taken. When carrying out the duties, we must uphold ethics and rules as strictly as possible. God willing, I will uphold that," he remarked.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) appointed Minister Sulaiman to replace Syahrul Yasin Limpo, who resigned due to a corruption case.

Sulaiman returned to Jokowi's Onward Indonesia Cabinet after earlier serving as agriculture minister in the 2014-2019 period.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus/Yashinta D, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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