Soeharto opens C. Java irrigation and port projects

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto inaugurated several irrigation projects and a fishing port in Central Java and Yogyakarta yesterday.

An inaugural ceremony was held in Banyumas before the president proceeded to Cilacap to look at the new port in the southern fishery town.

The Serayu irrigation dam is designed to irrigate 20,000 hectares of agricultural land in Banyumas, Cilacap and Kebumen regencies.

The dam should free 4,000 hectares from seasonal flooding, the President said.

The Sermo reservoir is designed to improve the productivity of 150 hectares of paddy fields, and control floods in Yogyakarta.

Soeharto said the irrigation facilities are expected to improve the welfare of local farmers, especially their buying power, so more people buy domestic products.

"The projects are also expected to reduce the number of people living below the poverty line," he said.

One of the government's efforts toward improving farm families' welfare is introducing appropriate farming technology, the President said.

Java, whose size is only one-fourteenth of Indonesia, remains the country's largest rice producer, contributing about 60 percent of national rice product, he said.

Soeharto said Indonesia has maintained the self-sufficiency in rice production it achieved in 1984.

"We should be proud of the achievement. Currently, 800 million people are impoverished. In some countries, elderly people, youths and children die from starvation," he said.

The fishery port in Cilacap is designed to help local anglers access fishing facilities and sell their catch.

In a dialog with 50 anglers and farmers in Cilacap, the President acknowledged that Indonesia does not yet have the technology to optimally exploit exclusive economic zone waters.

"Of the potential 6.7 million tons of fish that could be harvested in the zones each year, Indonesian anglers are able to catch only half of it," Soeharto said.

The rest is harvested by foreign anglers with more advanced technology and we cannot do anything about it, he said.

The technology is still too expensive for Indonesian fishermen and bank credit for fishing is still difficult to obtain, he said

The president called on local fishermen to revitalize their maritime spirits to farther and catch more, like their ancestors who reached Madagascar in east Africa in their sailing boats.

The Rp 46 billion (US$20 million) fishery port has a housing complex for fishermen worth Rp 23.5 million.

Soeharto was accompanied by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar and Central Java governor Soewardi. (pan/har/wah)