A local lawmaker H Riswandi said he hoped construction of the Alai water reservoir could be completed soon.
Riswandi said the farmers in Hulu Sungai Tengah (HST) needs the water reservoir to increase their productivity in food crops to support one of the priority program of the government.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has set food self sufficiency among its main targets during his term of administration until 2019.
The Alai dam in the Batang Alai river flows from the mountain of Meratus, could irrigate up top 6,000 hectares of rice fields.
After the completion of the dam project and irrigation systems is expected to contribute to increase in the production of food crops in the regency of Hulu Sungai Tengah.
The farmers could expect to have harvest two times or more in a year, Riswandi said.
"Many farmers in that district already enjoyed two harvest a year after the use of high yield seed varieties," he added.
Hulu Sungai Tengah is a farming center and rice barn for South Kalimantan.
(AS/O001)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
