Govt encourages farmers to plan 'gogo' rice

JAKARTA (JP): The government is encouraging farmers to plant high-quality gogo rice on one million hectares of dry rice estates over the next three to four years in a bid to increase their incomes and to secure Indonesia's self-sufficiency in rice.

Speaking to reporters in Kotabaru, South Kalimantan, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah was quoted by Antara yesterday as saying that presently 150,000 hectares of dry rice estates in various parts of the country have been planted with the new Wayrarem variety of gogo rice, a fast-growing species which has high resistance against diseases, high productivity and is able to grow on less-humid soil.

Next year, he said, the area under cultivation will be expanded to 300,000 hectares.

Sjarifudin said that due to shortages in the supply of gogo rice, next season's gogo crop would not be consumed but would be used as high-quality seeds, to be distributed to farmers.

His visit to South Kalimantan was made to coincide with the harvest season of gogo rice planted during the previous dry season under a trial program.

Sjarifudin said that, previously, gogo rice had always been planted during the rainy season and had never harvested well when planted during the dry season.

However, last week's harvests brought unexpectedly good results, he said, with farmers reaping 3.38 tons of rice per hectare.

These figures are higher than the local gogo variety crop, which yields only two tons per hectare.

According to South Kalimantan Governor Hasan Aman, the region enjoyed a surplus of 277,111 tons of rice last year.

He was quoted by Antara as saying on Sunday that South Kalimantan has been developing its agricultural sector at a rate of 2.75 percent a year, with production levels rising by 3.09 percent per year.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas, who accompanied Sjarifudin, said that because gogo rice could be grown on dry soil, the species was ideal for reducing the risk of forest fires, which often start in or spread across land covered with a tall-growing grass known locally as alang- alang (imperata cylindrica).

Kalimantan forests are prone to fires and last year's fires caused heavy smog, which covered great parts of the island and disturbed air navigation systems.

Singapore and Malaysia also lodged complaints with Indonesia, saying that the smoke had reached their territories and had adversely affected the respiratory systems of their citizens. (pwn)