The Provincial Government of West Sumatra is continuing to accelerate\nthe transformation of the agricultural sector towards a more modern,\nefficient, and technology-based cultivation system as a strategy to\nincrease productivity while strengthening regional food security. This\ncommitment was realised through the inaugural planting of rice seeds\nusing the Modern Agriculture\u2013Advanced Agriculture System (PM-AAS)\npattern on land belonging to the Rawang Sari Farmers Group in Nagari\nSalayo, Kubung District, Solok Regency, on Saturday (25\/7).<\/p>\n
West Sumatra Deputy Governor Vasko Ruseimy asserted that agricultural\nmodernisation is an important step to address the sector\u2019s challenges\namidst increasingly limited paddy fields and rising public food needs.\n\u201cThis is an excellent activity to support the government\u2019s programme,\u201d\nhe said. He noted that increasing food production can no longer rely\nsolely on expanding agricultural land. Therefore, the government is\nencouraging various innovations and the use of technology so that the\nproductivity of each hectare of land can be continuously improved. Vasko\nassessed that the implementation of modern agriculture must be\naccompanied by sustainable mentoring for farmers, ensuring that the\ninnovations introduced do not stop at the demonstration stage but are\nwidely applied and provide real benefits for increasing harvests and\nfarmer welfare. \u201cWe want this technology to be truly adopted by farmers\nso that productivity increases and their welfare is lifted,\u201d he\nstated.<\/p>\n
The activity was also attended by Solok Deputy Regent Chandra; Head\nof the West Sumatra Plantation, Food Crops, and Horticulture Office,\nAfniwirman; Head of the Solok Regency Agriculture Office, Deslirizaldi;\nthe Head of BRMP West Sumatra; agricultural extension workers; farmer\ngroups; and the local community. Head of the West Sumatra Plantation,\nFood Crops, and Horticulture Office, Afniwirman, explained that PM-AAS\nis a modern agricultural programme initiated by the Minister of\nAgriculture to increase land productivity through mechanisation and more\nprecise planting mechanisms. Unlike conventional patterns that use\nseedlings from nurseries, the PM-AAS system plants seeds directly using\na special planting tool. This method makes the planting process faster\nand more efficient, reduces labour requirements, and allows for more\noptimal plant population management.<\/p>\n
According to Afniwirman, the seed requirement in the PM-AAS system is\nindeed higher, around 70\u201380 kilogrammes per hectare compared to the\nconventional pattern which averages about 25 kilogrammes per hectare.\nFertiliser needs are also adjusted to support the denser plant\npopulation so that the potential yield can increase significantly. \u201cWith\nthis system, productivity is targeted to reach around 10 to 12 tonnes of\ngrain per hectare. If the area of paddy fields is increasingly limited,\nthen what we must do is increase the productivity of each existing\nhectare of land,\u201d he said. He added that the planting in Nagari Salayo\nis the first application of PM-AAS in West Sumatra after previously\nbeing in the trial stage.<\/p>\n
To accelerate the programme\u2019s implementation, the government will\noptimise the role of agricultural extension workers as the frontline for\nfield mentoring. Each extension worker is targeted to assist with the\nimplementation of PM-AAS on approximately 50 hectares of land, ensuring\nthat modern cultivation technology can be applied correctly according to\nthe conditions of each region. With more than a thousand extension\nworkers in West Sumatra, the potential mentoring coverage is estimated\nto reach around 50,000 hectares of agricultural land. The West Sumatra\nProvincial Government hopes that the successful implementation of PM-AAS\nin Solok Regency can serve as a model for developing modern agriculture\nin other rice production centres. Through mechanisation, technology\napplication, and sustainable mentoring, agricultural productivity is\nexpected to continue increasing, thereby strengthening regional food\nsecurity while supporting the national food self-sufficiency target.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/west-sumatra-continues-push-for-modern-agriculture-to-achieve-food-self-sufficiency-1785077428", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }