Makassar, South Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo will receive a Satya Lencana Wirakarya medal of merit from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in recognition of his services in promoting food security.

Agriculture Minister Suswono would present the award to Governor Syahrul on the occasion of the 13th Accomplished Farmers and Fishermens Contact Week (KTNA) at Tenggarong, East Kalimantan, on June 23, 2011, the head of the South Sulawesi Provincial Administration`s Public Relations and Protocol Affairs, Agus Sumantri, said here on Tuesday.

Governor Syahrul won the award for his success in increasing South Sulawesi`s rice output by more than 5 percent or maintaining it at above 4.3 million tons for three consecutive years since 2008.

South Sulawesi had set itself the target of increasing its rice output to 4.9 million tons this year and hopes to raise its regional gross domestic product (PDRB) from the agricultural sector to Rp23 trillion from Rp1 trillion in 2010.

Rice and corn were farm commodities that contributed significantly to the province`s PDRB of Rp18.3 trillion last year.

Earlier, at the opening of a Regional Accomplished Farmers and Fishermen Contact Week recently, the governor had asked all regional agencies involved in the agricultural sector to look into the possibility of forming agricultural counseling institutes at subdistrict level.

Such institutes would be manned by professional agricultural officers who would instruct local farmers in various cultivation technologies, thereby helping them accelerate agricultural development in each subdistrict, he said. (Uu.S012/HAJM/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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