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North Sumatra food estate sees first harvests
A 215 hectare food estate in Humbang Hasundutan regency, North Sumatra, has had its first potato, shallot and garlic harvests.
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Ministers and officials harvest the first potatoes from a food estate in Humbang Hasundutan regency, North Sumatra, on March 23. They are (first row, left to right) Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi and Humbahas Regent Hasundutan Dosmar Banjarnahor. (Kemenko Marves/Kemenko Marves)
T
he government has reported that its 215 hectare food estate in Humbang Hasundutan (Humbahas), North Sumatra, has had its first potato, shallot and garlic harvests, with above-average productivity.
Roughly 100 ha of the estate were sown with shallots, 50 ha with garlic and 50 ha with potatoes. Per hectare, the estate yielded 15 tons of potatoes, 5.8 tons of shallots and 5.8 tons of garlic.
“The initial harvest for potatoes was above the national average at 15 tons per ha. This is just the first planting, so the second planting and onward should be better,” said Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
In comparison, Central Java had the nation’s highest provincial shallot productivity with 10.25 tons per ha and West Nusa Tenggara had the highest garlic productivity with 10.72 tons per ha, according to data from the Agriculture Ministry.
The Humbahas food estate is part of a large government agricultural project in North Sumatra and Central Kalimantan that seeks to bolster the nation’s food security. In North Sumatra, the government aims to develop a total of 61,000 ha of agricultural land, with other estates located in Central Tapanuli, North Tapanuli and West Pakpak.
Read also: Explainer: All you need to know about the govt’s food estates
This year, the government plans to expand the Humbahas food estate by some 785 ha to 1,000 ha. It expects to expand the estate again next year to between 3,000 and 4,000 ha. Minsiter Luhut said the government sought to develop 20,000 ha of land in the area for agriculture by 2024.
