Minister Of Agriculture Amran Pacu Agricultural Productivity In Manokwari With Pumpization And Mechanization Program

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

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman seeks to spur productivity and the rice farming index in Manokwari Regency, West Papua Province by optimizing pumping and mechanization programs.

"We ask the farmers (in Manokwari) to maximize the pumping and running of land optimization (Oplah) through the use of agricultural machine tools (alsintan)," Amran said in a statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, June 3.

The Minister of Agriculture admitted that he had reviewed the course of rice farming and rice fields printing in Manokwari Regency, West Papua Province.

According to him, with the pumping and mechanization program in carrying out agriculture, it is able to save production costs of up to 50 percent.

"Those who want to operate (land optimization) should not be converted, focus on what we have targeted together, namely making Papua a food barn for Eastern Indonesia," said Amran.

Regarding this, the Minister of Agriculture asked the local government to immediately bring in heavy equipment such as excavators and land leveling machines so that they can be processed into productive land.

As for costs, the Minister of Agriculture ensured that his party would support all of its needs.

"Immediately look for excavators because later we will prepare the costs. Second, from the 20 thousand hectares of the existing land, I ask for an immediate addition through the printed rice fields," he said.

Based on existing data, continued Amran, West Papua has great potential to support Indonesia, the world's food barn. One of them is the potential in Manokwari Regency which reaches 2,558 hectares in Sidey and Masni Districts.

Director General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities (PSP) of the Ministry of Agriculture Ali Jamil added that land optimization activities have been running well in line with government activities that continue to improve infrastructure and allocate alsintan and pumping.

"Currently, soil processing has been carried out using alsintan which we have allocated. Its activities include normalizing channels and land processing on ups and downs of swampland using a 4-wheeled tractor," said Ali.