"Yes, it must be continued. We will continue what has been pioneered, the food estate for the future of the country, for the country, for food. Remember, food security was identical to the country's security," he said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The project, which has been implemented in Central Kalimantan among several locations, covers 30 thousand hectares of former peatland area.
According to Sulaiman, the food estate in Central Kalimantan, which was designed with the concept of integrated food development, has been equipped with a rice plant irrigation system that can serve around 100 thousand hectares of rice fields.
"We fix it. So, in Central Kalimantan, it can be developed for 200 thousand hectares," he informed.
The irrigation system installation also has been prepared to irrigate rice fields of up to 500 thousand hectares, he added.
He said that one thousand hectares of fields are ready to be planted with rice.
"There was irrigation but no rice fields. There are 100 thousand, and we will continue to reach 200 thousand. Our target was 400–500 thousand hectares," he added.
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Translator: Andi F., Rangga P, Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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