"In a bid to achieve food resilience and sovereignty, we have been developing and rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure across the country, including dams and irrigation canals. That way, we aim to ensure water supply for farmers to boost our agricultural productivity," he remarked in Sigi.
The president made the statement in his opening speech for the inauguration of the Gumbasa Dam and Irrigation Zone for which rehabilitation and reconstruction work had been underway since 2016.
"The rehabilitation of the Gumbasa Irrigation Zone began in 2016 and faced disasters in 2018 before eventually concluding this year," Jokowi pointed out.
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The president revealed that funding worth Rp1.25 trillion (US$78.7 million) was disbursed to ensure the success of rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the Gumbasa region.
"The rehabilitation and reconstruction works in Gumbasa required a huge amount of budget totaling Rp1.25 trillion," he remarked.
Jokowi elaborated that the funding was allocated for the reconstruction of a dam, a 35-kilometer-long premier canal, a 52-kilometer-long secondary canal, a 119-kilometer-long tertiary canal, and an 82-kilometer-long sewer.
The head of state expressed belief that operations of the dam and canals would help optimize 8,180 hectares of agricultural lands.
"I hope that rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Gumbasa Irrigation Zone will lead to a boost in our agricultural productivity rate, support our vision of food resilience and sovereignty, and elevate the living standard of farmers," he concluded.
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Translator: Moh Salam, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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