Planting Cassava Is Not The Ministry Of Agriculture's Program In The Food Estate

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo emphasized that the cassava planting program by the Ministry of Defense is not among the ones that will be worked on this year by the Ministry of Agriculture in a food estate area of 30,000 hectares (ha) in Central Kalimantan.

Syahrul explained, the planting of cassava by the Ministry of Defense as a strategic food reserve does not include the tasks, mains and functions carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture in the food estate project or food barn.

"I stated that I did not participate if that one, I only focused on 30,000 hectares, and it should not be mixed which one the Minister of Defense planted, which one we planted," said Syahrul during a working meeting with Commission IV of the DPR in Jakarta, reported by Antara. , Monday, September 14th.

He explained that there is land potential that could be developed into agricultural land in Central Kalimantan, covering an area of 164,598 hectares, based on data from the PUPR Ministry.

Especially in 2020, the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture will intensify agriculture in an area of 30,000 hectares so that the land will be planted with rice immediately in order to catch up with the October 2020-March 2021 planting season.

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul also said that the Ministry of Defense plans to plant cassava as an effort to increase strategic food reserves in an area of 60,000 hectares this year. The locations for planting cassava are located in Pulang Pisau and Kapuas districts, Central Kalimantan.

Responding to this, the Chairman of Commission IV DPR from the PDIP faction, Sudin, questioned the clarity of the location of the land with the food estate project that will be undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture.

"So the 164,598 hectares, 30,000 hectares for rice, 60,000 hectares for cassava? So look for another location," asked the Sub-dept.

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul also reiterated that the Ministry of Defense continued to plant cassava, but outside the stipulated food estate area of 164,598 hectares.

"We have already discussed that 60,000 hectares of cassava will not enter our area. Look for another location, because if they don't, they will enter," said the Minister of Agriculture.