Jambi Immigration Office Harvests Six Tonnes of Melons Amid Dry Season
The Jambi Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration (Kanwil Ditjenim) successfully harvested around six tonnes of melons from a 3,000-square-metre plot in Muarojambi Regency on Thursday. The harvest is part of the office’s support for the national Food Security Programme.
Head of the Jambi Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, Petrus Teguh Aprianto, stated that the successful harvest was due to the hard work of the team from the Kuala Tungkal Immigration Office. The plants were able to thrive and produce fruit despite the dry season conditions.
“Praise be to God Almighty, thanks to the hard work and diligence of our colleagues at the Kuala Tungkal Immigration Office who were entrusted with overseeing the melon cultivation since last April, we have achieved a successful harvest despite the drought,” Petrus said after picking the first melons.
Petrus noted that the success was also supported by the Muarojambi Regency Government, which provided the land, and technical agencies that assisted with heavy equipment during the initial land clearing phase. The cultivation employed a drip irrigation system, mastered by a staff member from the Kuala Tungkal Immigration Office, which helped maintain the plants’ water needs during the dry season.
“We in Jambi are striving to be part of history in supporting the success of the Food Security Programme initiated by the President and championed by the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections,” he added.
The harvested melons will be managed through cooperatives and partner farmer groups. A portion of the yield will be sent to immigration offices in Jambi, Bungo, Kerinci, and Tungkal to be served to members of the public applying for passports. The remainder will be distributed to the surrounding community.
Following the harvest, the office immediately continued the programme by planting gold melons on land prepared adjacent to the harvest site. Petrus is targeting an expansion of the cultivation area to three hectares. If the expansion is successful and production remains optimal, central ministry leadership has pledged to attend the next grand harvest in person.