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Agriculture ministry to create 80,000 hectares of new rice fields
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Farmers plant rice in Jatiluwih, Tabanan, Bali. (JP/Agung Parameswara )
T
he Agriculture Ministry has expressed its optimism that it is able to create some 80,000 hectares of new rice fields this year as targeted by the government as part of the country’s food security program.
The Ministry’s agricultural infrastructure director general Pending Dadih Permana said the new rice fields would be created outside Java.
“Many plots of land have not been developed [by the owners]. We will help them convert the land into rice fields. We will prioritize owners who are ready to cultivate their land,” said Pending during a hearing with members of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV overseeing agriculture affairs.
Last year, the ministry created 129, 096 hectares of new rice fields in 27 provinces, slightly lower than the target of 132,167 hectares.
Those rice fields were created in West Kalimantan (16,905 hectares), Central Kalimantan (16,550 hectares), Lampung (11,874 hectares), West Nusa Tenggara (11,537 hectares) and South Sumatra (11.475 hectares).
Before the rice fields are created, initial work, including investigations and design surveys, will be carried out in the areas to be used.
Additional work includes the flattening of land and the construction of rice field paths, as well as the development of roads and irrigation infrastructure.
Rice field construction has also required the involvement of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel. (bbn)
