"We should be grateful for the continuity program of the current to the next government," special staff for agricultural policy to the Minister of Agriculture, Sam Herodian, said during a talk show here on Friday.
According to Herodian, the transition of the government from President Joko Widodo to Prabowo must be appreciated because both leaders are paying great attention to the agricultural sector.
"We can immediately begin to carry out extensification for the 3 million hectares (of rice fields). So we are currently preparing intensification both in swampy areas and in conventional areas," he informed.
Rice field printing is an important step in supporting national food security. The program is expected to not only increase planting area but also boost the planting index from 1 harvest to 2, or even 3, harvests a year.
"Currently, we know that our planting index is only 1.5, meaning that if we increase the index to 2 or even 3, it will add a quarter of the current availability and that is more than enough," he explained.
The rice field printing program, he said, cannot be carried out in a short time as it involves several stages, starting from opening land, planting, and fertilizing, to harvesting.
Support from various stakeholders, including cross-ministerial assistance, is needed for the rice field printing process, he emphasized.
"It cannot be done this year because everything needs a process. And this is what we are doing, we have started by preparing the infrastructure and also human resources from millennials to manage it," he informed.
According to Herodian, self-sufficiency and Indonesia's vision to become the world's food barn are not just wishful thinking, but can become a reality soon.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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