Merauke is expected to become the main source of national rice stock in the next two years, according to Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman.
"We are optimistic that the next two years of self-sufficiency will start from here," he remarked after a two-day working visit to Wanam District, Merauke, on August 18-19.
During the visit, he evaluated the progress in optimizing 40 thousand hectares of swamp land spread across six districts.
To date, he highlighted that construction has reached more than half, with land cultivation and planting having reached 6,500 hectares.
The rice planting process would continue along with the completion of the harvest and construction of agricultural infrastructure, such as canals, bridges, and roads.
Sulaiman also reviewed the construction of a 135.5 km road from Ilwayab to Ngguti, which supported the 1 million hectare rice field program. The road was expected to be completed in the next three months.
The minister checked the volume of water channels along the road and instructed to increase the width and depth to optimize irrigation.
"We design it as long storage to irrigate the one million hectares of rice fields that we are preparing," he explained.
In addition, Sulaiman instructed to create one hectare of rice planting plot along the road at a distance of every five kilometers. This plot will be proof of the suitability of land in Merauke to support rice growth.
The first stage of land optimization in the districts of Merauke, Tanah Miring, Semangga, Kurik, Janggebob, and Malind will be expanded from 40 thousand hectares to 100 thousand hectares.
To accelerate the realization of the target, 70 excavators have been mobilized from Wanam to those districts, and an additional 20 large combine harvesters and seeds will be readied this month.
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Translator: Abdul Kadir, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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