Minister Of Agriculture Invites PPL To Help Farmers Increase Food Production

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

SIGI - Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman invites Field Agricultural Extension (PPL) to help farmers increase food production in 2024 as an effort to strengthen national food security.

"PPL is the spearhead in helping farmers boost agricultural production and productivity, this task must be carried out optimally in order to achieve food self-sufficiency goals," Amran said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, November 6.

According to him, PPL is not only carrying out counseling tasks, their role in the field is more than that as farmer partners in increasing agricultural production through various innovation breakthroughs.

As with the goal of agricultural development, that Indonesia is determined to become a world food barn in 2024-2033, in order to make this happen, the pillars of the food barn must be met, namely maximizing land potential, optimizing agricultural tools and machinery (alsintan) mechanization systems, preparing superior seeds and irrigation/envelope, agricultural and institutional production facilities.

"In 2017, Indonesia has no imports of medium rice from abroad, then in 2019-2020 Indonesia is self-sufficient in food, and until now Indonesia is still self-sufficiency in shallot commodities, all of this is inseparable from the performance of PPL and domestic farmers," said Amran.

This year, the national rice harvest area is estimated at 10.20 million hectares with rice production of around 53.63 million tons of Dry Giling Grain (GKG), or converted into rice for food consumption, around 275 million people are estimated to produce around 30.90 million tons.

This target has decreased by 255.79 thousand hectares or 2.45 percent compared to the rice harvest area in 2022 which is 10.45 million hectares (BPS 2023).

"In 2024-225, the government targets production optimization towards 2026 food self-sufficiency. This target must be supported by good performance and sustainable agricultural programs. Indonesia has a history of self-sufficiency, so that glory must be realized in the future," he hoped.