Hutama Karya completes rehabilitation of Beo Irrigation Channel in Talaud, North Sulawesi
Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Hutama Karya (Persero) has completed the rehabilitation of the irrigation channel in the Beo Irrigation Area (DI Beo), Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi Province, as part of efforts to support food security.
Acting Executive Vice President (EVP) for Corporate Secretary of Hutama Karya, Hamdani, stated that with the completion of this irrigation rehabilitation, the people of Talaud are experiencing tangible benefits, from more stable water availability and increased harvests to strengthened family food security and more vibrant economic circulation at the village level.
“The Beo Irrigation Area channel, which had been dead and non-functional for more than four years, is now flowing water normally again. Farmers who previously relied heavily on rainfall can now plant more confidently with increased planting intensity,” Hamdani said in his statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
This project also aligns with the work programme of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, which places food security and self-sufficiency as national priorities to achieve Indonesia’s food sovereignty.
“DI Beo is a manifestation of Hutama Karya’s commitment to supporting national food security in line with the directives of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, to build Indonesia’s food self-sufficiency, as well as to improve the welfare of farming communities in island and border areas like Talaud,” Hamdani added.
The enhancement and rehabilitation project for the irrigation network in the Beo Irrigation Area (DI Beo), Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi Province, undertaken by the state-owned enterprise and initiated by the Ministry of Public Works, is now functioning optimally and delivering water back to agricultural lands after more than four years of inactivity.
This project is one of 28 irrigation area sites in the Main Network Enhancement and Rehabilitation Programme under the Authority of the Regions in the Sulawesi I River Basin Management Agency (BWS Sulawesi I), spread across nine regencies/cities in North Sulawesi.
The project was built to address limitations in water availability that have impacted low agricultural productivity in Talaud.
The agriculture and plantation sector contributes around 46 per cent to the regional economy, making reliable irrigation crucial.
With this rehabilitation, land that was previously unproductive or only planted limitedly can now be optimised again, increasing harvests and farmers’ incomes.
The benefits of this project extend beyond increased agricultural production; it also strengthens regional food security. Land that was previously idle is now productive again, and farmers are no longer entirely dependent on the rainy season.
The main beneficiaries are the farming communities in the DI Beo area, Talaud Islands Regency, who heavily rely on the agriculture sector.