Navy launched Jonggol harvests<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Navy Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Widodo AS launched
\non Monday harvests of corn and peanut crops cultivated on eight
\nhectares of idle land in Jonggol district, Bogor.<\/p>\n
The produce consisted of about 16.5 metric tons of corn
\nharvested from a 4.5-hectare plot of land and seven tons of
\npeanuts from another 3.5-hectare plot.<\/p>\n
The idle land, owned by the Navy, was originally intended for
\nthe development of a housing complex for Navy personnel, Widodo
\nwas quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
\"But it is still vacant so we decided to use it to help
\nprovide foodstuffs in cooperation with agriculture experts from
\nBogor Institute of Agriculture and local residents,\" Widodo said.<\/p>\n
The Jonggol farm is one of the agricultural projects organized
\nby the Armed Forces (ABRI) with the aim of boosting staple food
\nproduction during the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
Laid-off and jobless residents of Duri Pulo subdistrict in
\nGambir district, Central Jakarta, harvested on Monday at least
\n520 kilograms of corn and three tons of vegetables, including
\nwater spinach, in a plot of neglected land on the banks of a
\nflood canal.<\/p>\n
The first harvest was launched by Central Jakarta Mayor Andi
\nSubur Abdullah.<\/p>\n
\"The corn will be for the residents, while the vegetables will
\nbe sold at local markets,\" Andi, who was accompanied by several
\nmayoralty officials, said.<\/p>\n
He said the mayoralty, in cooperation with private developers,
\nhad identified 51 hectares of neglected land in eight districts.<\/p>\n
Ten hectares of the 51 hectares had been cultivated, he said.<\/p>\n
Besides giving people additional food and income, the
\ncultivation of idle land helped clean up dirty river banks, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"A month ago, I saw the river banks were dirty, but now they
\nare clean and green,\" Andi said.<\/p>\n
Sudjana, head of the Jakarta office of the Ministry of
\nManpower, explained that the cultivation along the river banks in
\nDuri Pulo employed 42 recently laid-off people.<\/p>\n
Besides being given the vegetable seeds, the people were paid
\nRp 7,500 a day during the first planting session, Sudjana was
\nquoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
\"In the second planting session, however, the people are not
\npaid any longer. They are expected to manage and develop their
\nland independently,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Karim, one of the dismissed people who joined the farming
\nproject, was proud of the harvest.<\/p>\n
\"We don't need to bring results of the harvest to markets
\nsince many people come here to buy directly,\" the resident of
\nDuri Pulo said. (jun\/ivy)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/navy-launched-jonggol-harvests-1447893297",
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