Aceh needs Rp 400b to rebuild agriculture<\/p>\n
The government has allocated around Rp 400 billion (US$43
\nmillion) fund to help rebuild the agriculture sector in the
\ndevastated province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam following Dec. 26
\nearthquake and tsunami.<\/p>\n
Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriyantono said during his
\nvisit to Aceh Besar regency on Sunday that more than 37,000
\nhectares of rice fields and 28,000 hectares of plantations in
\nnine regencies were severely damaged by the calamities.<\/p>\n
\"The government's first step to rebuild the agricultural
\nsector in Aceh will be by restoring some rice fields and
\nplantations that were less severely damaged, so that the economy
\ncan be restarted,\" he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.<\/p>\n
\"Farmers, whose rice fields and plantations are located near
\nthe coast, will get new plot of land in another area so they can
\nstart working,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Anton said that apart from that, the government also plans to
\nopen a palm tree plantation in Bireuen regency.<\/p>\n
\"The opening of the plantation is aimed at providing jobs for
\nlocals.\"<\/p>\n
The tsunami not only claimed more than 120,000 lives but also
\nleft at least 600,000 others jobless, according to the
\nInternational Labor Organization (ILO).<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the agriculture ministry is awaiting the
\ngovernment's master plan for the reconstruction of Aceh before
\nmaking further policies.<\/p>\n
Data from the ministry reveals that a total of 8,275 hectares
\nof irrigated fields in eight regencies were also damaged. -- JP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-needs-rp-400b-to-rebuild-agriculture-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}