Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman together with the South Papua Provincial Government has launched rice fields covering an area of 500 thousand hectares to increase agricultural production in the region and Indonesia in general.
“In the past, we pioneered 10 thousand hectares of rice fields here and now the production is 6 tons per hectare so it has been successful. In the past, we planned to develop 1 million hectares and now we are pioneering 500 thousand hectares. We project this to become the food store of the future,” said Minister Amran during a working visit in Merauke, South Papua, Tuesday (16/4). Minister Amran launched new rice fields on untapped land in South Papua, including in Merauke Regency.
The launching was carried out on the first day of work after the long holiday marking Eid al-Fitr 2024. At the 500-thousand-hectare rice field location in South Papua, the Minister of Agriculture together with local government and local farmers are moving to work on potential land in Marauke Regency. “This existing land is ready, and this is very good, the potential is extraordinary,” said the Minister in his statement in Jakarta.
He said the potential of agriculture in South Papua is very large, especially in meeting domestic needs, especially in eastern Indonesia. Moreover, continued Amran, currently almost all countries in the world are being hit by a long El Nino that has led to reduced production.
“The potential is amazing. Here the water is abundant. Well, this we make our strength for the harvest. At this time there is El Nino, then the world food crisis is very strategic so God willing, in the future we will increase the index, “said Amran.
Meanwhile, Merauke Regent Romanus Mbaraka explained that Merauke Regency is known as a showcase for trade and transportation in Eastern Indonesia, the Pacific, and for the Melanesian Community. Merauke is a district in South Papua with a potential agricultural land of 1.2 million hectares. “South Papua Province consists of four regencies, 74 districts, 13 subdistricts, and 674 villages. While the population in Merauke is 243,722 people with a total area of 127,280.69 kilometres,” Romanus said.
Romanus expressed his gratitude for the visit and direction of Minister Amran towards agricultural development in Merauke Regency. The region is a support for food needs in Papua. Currently, the government is also preparing organic farming as a healthier sustainable farming solution. In addition, Romanus said, his party has prepared irrigation infrastructure support for larger production targets. Romanus added that support for the agricultural sector will also be continued with the presence of Deputy Defence Minister Muhammad Herindra on Wednesday, April 16.
“Today the Minister of Agriculture and tomorrow the Deputy Minister of Defence will arrive in Merauke in order to make the food estate program in Merauke a success. So, once again, thank you to the Minister of Agriculture for your support and direction towards the course of agricultural development in the Merauke region. In the future, we are ready to make agriculture a sustainable future solution,” Romanus said.
https://papua.jpnn.com/papua-terkini/2745/mentan-amran-mencetak-sawah-500-ribu-hektare-di-papua-selatan
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