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W. Nusa Tenggara to double corn output in 2017
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Farmers harvest corn in a farming field. West Nusa Tenggara aims to double its corn output to 2.4 million tons this year. (Antara/Hendra Nurdiyansyah)
West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) aims to double its corn production to 2.4 million tons this year on the back of wider cultivation areas.
NTB agriculture agency head Husnul Fauzi said that new cultivation areas would be derived from traditionally non-farming land totaling 185,000 hectares on Sumbawa in the Sumbawa Regency, Dompu Regency, Bima Regency, West Sumbawa Regency and Bima city.
This would add 215,553 ha farming area available for planting, bringing the overall corn cultivation area to 400,553 ha.
“The higher production target would force us to innovate and one of the solutions is to optimize non-farming land on Sumbawa,” Husnul said as quoted by Antara news agency on Friday.
(Read also: Govt allocates US$250 million to eliminate corn imports)
To help support the target, the Agriculture Ministry would provide assistance in the form of free seeds and fertilizer, while the provincial government would prepare for a number of planting teams, set to collaborate with the Army based in subdistricts, he added.
Last year, NTB, which has an extensive range of dry areas suitable for corn planting, produced 1.24 million tons of the crop, slightly higher than 1.1 million tons targeted earlier. (lnd)
