"We have been tasked by the president to accelerate rice field development which we have started in Merauke (South Papua) and Central Kalimantan," Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman remarked after a meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.
The minister revealed that in the near future, the rice field creation program will also be implemented in South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, and other provinces.
He added that the government will maintain its focus on supporting farmers' upstream needs, particularly regarding production facilities, including fertilizers.
"He (President Prabowo) has instructed to fully check the additional fertilizers (to see) whether they have reached the farmers. We are also following up on land optimization," Sulaiman remarked.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono outlined the government's ambitious target to develop three million hectares of rice fields in three to four years. He underscored the need for such expansion, citing Indonesia's growing population amid no increase in the rice field area.
"It is not only to meet needs this year, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, next month, but for several decades ahead," he emphasized.
The government estimated that three million hectares of new rice fields could help guarantee the fulfillment of the needs of the nation's generations for the next 80 years.
Sudaryono explained that the land for the rice field creation program could be owned by the government or individuals, primarily focusing on currently unused swamp land.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu, Raka Adji
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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