Ravalomanana feels at home in Bogor

Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana holds a child in Situgede village, Bogor, West Java.

The president, who held a direct dialog with local villagers and observed farmers hard at work, expressed his happiness upon seeing the rice fields, which he said looked very fertile.

"I feel as if I am in my own country," said Ravalomanana, who came to Indonesia for the two-day Asian-African Summit that ended on Saturday.

The president visited the village to study how local villagers farm, particularly their use of organic fertilizers.

He said 80 percent of Madagascar people are farmers but their output remains low.

Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto, meanwhile, conveyed local people's surprise at the president's visit.

"The president came to see the way Situgede villagers farm as they harvest their crops twice a year, while he said that Madagascar people only harvest crops once a year," he said.

He said the president was also interested in the cultivation of cassava and sweet potato plants as well as visiting cattle farms. -- JP