Ministry of Agriculture Gives Green Light to Assist Penajam in Food Sector Development
North Penajam Paser (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) has given the green light to assist North Penajam Paser Regency in East Kalimantan Province, one of the support areas for the Nusantara Capital (IKN), in developing the food sector.
“The regency government’s steps to develop agriculture are welcomed positively by Kementan,” said Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman in a press statement received by ANTARA in Penajam on Thursday.
Kementan is committed to and will ensure assistance for regions needing accelerated agricultural development, both in terms of land expansion and increased production yields.
“Please propose the regency government’s needs clearly,” said Andi Amran Sulaiman, as there are many programmes that can be supported to improve community welfare through agriculture.
This explanation was given during a strategic audience between the North Penajam Paser Regency Government and Kementan.
Collaboration between the central and regency governments is expected to drive more productive, modern development of the food sector in North Penajam Paser Regency and sustainably enhance farmer welfare.
The North Penajam Paser Regency Government outlined several priority programmes, including the development of integrated agricultural zones, optimisation of idle land, enhancement of farmer capacity through training and mentoring, and the construction and rehabilitation of irrigation networks.
The proposed assistance includes pump irrigation, pump systems, piped irrigation, as well as the construction of reservoirs and wells as alternative water sources.
The main need in the regency’s agricultural sector is water availability, as agricultural land still relies on rainfall, explained Regent of North Penajam Paser Mudyat Noor, thus requiring support for irrigation or water infrastructure.
If irrigation is optimised, farmers can plant and harvest rice more than three times a year, he continued, whereas currently farmers harvest twice a year with an average yield of 3.5 tonnes of dry harvested grain (GKP) per hectare.
As the main partner support area for the IKN zone, agricultural sector development is vital to accommodate the food needs of Indonesia’s new capital, stated Mudyat Noor.