JAKARTA - DPD RI member Emma Yohanna said that currently the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) is focusing on planting rice using high technology in three areas, namely Kalimantan, East Java, and Aceh.
"The focus of this Ministry of Agriculture is to achieve the goal of Indonesian food self-sufficiency or to be able to meet our needs," said member of the Indonesian DPD Committee II Emma Yohanna, in Padang, West Sumatra (West Sumatra), quoted from Antara, Wednesday, June 12.
Emma said the focus of planting rice using this technology does not mean that the Ministry of Agriculture ignores other commodities. However, at this time the government first strengthens the productivity of grain.
Although West Sumatra Province is not included in the priority rice planting program, the Minang Ranah gets large amounts of assistance, including the addition of agricultural land, especially rice commodities.
The senator from West Sumatra said the program was a trial of planting rice using advanced technology, but had not been exposed to the public so much.
The senior politician advised the government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture, to be able to create an agricultural technology that is able to accelerate the harvest process and increase rice productivity.
"Now we harvest rice three times a year, but why can China harvest rice once a month," he said.
When compared to China, he acknowledged that the agricultural sector in Indonesia is still lagging behind, so a breakthrough is needed so that the ideals of becoming a world food barn can be realized.
At the same time, the IAIN alumni, Imam Bonjol Padang, said that the local government also has an important role in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural areas, or avoiding the conversion of rice fields into housing.
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Separately, Padang Mayor Andree Harmadi Algamar admitted that there is a yearly shrinking of agricultural land in the city. However, local governments already have a strategy to prevent significant conversion of agricultural functions.
This strategy is to improve the welfare of farmers, ensure the availability of fertilizers at affordable prices, and issue Regional Regulations (Perda) on Regional Spatial Planning (RTRW).
"By issuing this RTRW, Padang City has mapped which areas should not be used as housing," he emphasized.
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