'Rice fields not to disappear'

'Rice fields not to disappear'

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja says that the rapid development of the capital is not being carried out at the expense of rice fields.

The governor made the remark in a speech on Friday to mark the beginning of the harvest of rice planted under an agriculture intensification program in Rorotan subdistrict, North Jakarta.

"It is true that according to the city master plan for the 1985 to 2005 period, Jakarta will not expand agricultural areas, but that does not means that rice fields will disappear completely. The city will continue to take care of the fields," Surjadi said.

He said rice can be planted on plots of land measuring 30 percent of Jakarta's total area.

Surjadi acknowledged however, that the rapid development in the city was likely to reduce the amount of land available for rice cultivation.

The governor said that farmers should make the most of high technology in order to produce more rice with good quality in a very short time. "This should be carried out seriously because one of the goals of our development program is to meet the people's need for food, clothing and housing."

Indonesia's efforts to increase rice production through the use of fertilizer, pesticides, high yield seeds, irrigation and a better planting system have gone on since 1970. (31)