Prepare Food Availability And Security, Ministry Of Agriculture Makes Sure To Guard The One Million Hectares Of Land Program

Photo: Doc. Antara

KENDARI - The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) through the Agricultural Quarantine Agency (Barantan) continues to oversee strategic programs in dealing with the global food crisis, through the One Million Hectares Lahan Program implemented throughout Indonesia.

"According to the direction of the Minister of Agriculture and the proposal for food development some time ago, we continue to oversee the implementation of the One Million hectares of Land in Southeast Sulawesi Province. The condition of global and geopolitical climate change requires us to prepare ourselves for food availability and security," said the Head of Barantan Bambang during the Strategic Agricultural Commodity Coordination Meeting, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, October 12.

It is stated that the types of strategic agricultural commodities that will be planted in the Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) region are rice, corn, and soybeans. According to him, Southeast Sulawesi has high potential in the agricultural sector, but it has not been managed properly.

"It is hoped that the cooperation of local governments in the Southeast Sulawesi region for the development of strategic agricultural commodities can be achieved according to our common expectations. If it is achieved, then the availability and food security in Southeast Sulawesi will be realized and ready to face the global food crisis," he said.

Meanwhile, the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government is very supportive of the Ministry of Agriculture Program, considering that this province has a productive agricultural land of 2.858 million hectares consisting of 124.01 thousand hectares of functional rice fields and 2.734 million hectares of non-field (land/dry) with rice, corn, soybeans, shallots, chilies, cocoa, and beef.

"The potential of Southeast Sulawesi agriculture such as rice and corn has a surplus and several other commodities have been exported. Chili and shallots can suppress inflation. Of course this can be developed again," said Deputy Governor of Southeast Sulawesi Lukman Abunawas.

For information, the One Million Hektar Land Program was launched in August 2022 by the Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Syahrul Yasin Limpo, to anticipate global climate change, geopolitical pressure, and the COVID-19 pandemic that threatens the occurrence of a food crisis.

Head of Barantan Bambang said the program is also to increase exports of agricultural commodities, in addition to increasing productivity to meet domestic food needs.

"We can export the surplus to other countries that need food. Another goal is also to increase substitution for imports of strategic food commodities," he explained.

The strategic agricultural commodities developed are chili, rice, corn, soybeans, wood sweet potatoes, sorghum, shallots, sago, beef, goat meat, itik, chicken, porang, swallow's nest, eggs, sugar cane, and sugar cane (stevia, sugar, sugar, and lightning).

The coordination meeting ended with the signing of a joint commitment to realize the joint program of Barantan, the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government, with universities, banking, and district/city governments.