77 Percent Already, Amran Calls The Realization Of The Capai 19,885 Pumpization Units

Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman (Photo: dock. Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman said the realization of the procurement of water pumps had reached 19,885 units. Where this achievement has reached 77.16 percent of the total 2024 procurement plan of 25,771 units.

Amran said the pumping program was one of the steps taken by the Ministry of Agriculture to accelerate the increase in rice and corn production through optimizing swampland (oplah) and increasing the rice planting index (IP) on rice fields.

"It has reached 80 percent of the first phase, already 19,000 out of 25,000 plans. Then the operation has also been running, what has been done has also been 25 percent, so now it has been a real action, we have accelerated," Amran said quoting Antara.

Amran said that the potential for swampland in Indonesia is quite large, but it has problems if the intensity of rain is above normal and below normal.

The existence of the Rawa Land Optimization program, so the existence of swampland can be maintained in conditions that can be planted and produced.

Likewise, in rainsheds or irrigation conditions with inadequate water volume, through pumping and irrigation activities, these locations can still be planted and allow the planting index to be increased.

Furthermore, the activities of Land and Pump Optimization are activities that are designed massively and seriously. In the 2024 fiscal year, the optimization of land is allocated an area of 400,000 hectares in 14 provinces with a budget of IDR 2.3 trillion.

"Meanwhile, for pumping irrigation activities, a total of 5,883 units were allocated with a budget of Rp. 650 million and a pumping of 25,771 units with an additional budget of Rp. 755 million and a allocation of rain or irrigation conditions with an inadequate volume of water," said Amran.

The Ministry of Agriculture is also collaborating with the Army (TNI AD) to participate in accelerating the implementation of Land and Pump Optimization activities.

Amran said strengthening cooperation with the Indonesian Army was a strategic step in creating synergy at the central and regional levels in the implementation of construction and activity escort.

"This is also a driving force for the implementation and acceleration of the completion of the Rawa, pumping and irrigation activities," he said.