Minister Amran Sulaiman: Will Print 500,000 Hectares Of Rice Fields In South Kalimantan

BANJARBARU - The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) moved quickly to realize food self-sufficiency according to President Prabowo Subianto's direction. Not only in Merauke and Central Kalimantan, the Ministry of Agriculture has also printed rice fields in South Kalimantan.

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman (Mentan Amran) said the target of printing rice fields in South Kalimantan Province is 500,000 hectares. According to him, the potential for land in South Kalimantan can be used to meet Indonesia's food needs.

"Today we have mapped it for 500 thousand hectares of rice fields. If this can be realized into our food power," said Minister of Agriculture Amran at the Coordination Meeting of the People's Rice Field Printing Program on Monday (4/11/2024) in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan.

Minister of Agriculture Amran explained that the target of 500.000 hectares will be pursued in stages. For phase I, the Ministry of Agriculture will start printing 152.291 hectares of rice fields on land located in Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, Hulu Sungai Tengah Regency, Hulu Sungai Utara Regency, Tanah Laut Regency, and Tapin Regency. Then it will be continued for other areas in South Kalimantan.

"Please be serious, there will be a total of 500,000 later, I want to check one by one later. If the production is 2-3 times, this can increase our rice production," he said.

Minister Amran said that rice fields printing will be worked on with the use of technology, ranging from land processing, planting, to harvesting and post-harvest. For this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture cooperates with several companies to commit to supporting the acceleration of rice fields printing by providing agricultural tools and machinery.

"There are 14 companies committed to preparing tools to print rice fields, a total of about 2,000 tools. So, we are accelerating, we even ask the Director General of PSP, the contract is completed in the next 1-2 days, a maximum of 3 days," explained Minister of Agriculture Amran.

In addition, the Minister of Agriculture Amran also emphasized the role of the younger generation to take part in the rice field printing program through the Food Brigade which is guarded by the Agricultural Human Resources Counseling and Development Agency (BPPSDMP). We have a Brigade where 200 hectares are managed by 15 people, they are given technological tools. We want millennial farmers to be involved," he said.

Not only that, Minister of Agriculture Amran said that collaboration with various parties is the key to jointly carry out rice fields to realize food self-sufficiency. Therefore, at the coordination meeting activity, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Provincial Government of South Kalimantan, the Regency Government and the City Government in the South Kalimantan, Kodam, Regional Police, High Prosecutor's Office, and Pupuk Indonesia were signed.

The signing is a form of commitment to print rice fields in order to accelerate rice production to support national food security.

As is known, the Ministry of Agriculture is intensifying the rice field printing program as an effort to maintain rice production in anticipation and mitigation amid the threat of climate change and geopolitical conditions.

"He (Prabowo Subianto) asked us to accelerate the big idea of printing rice fields into an effort to realize self-sufficiency (food)," concluded Minister of Agriculture Amran.