This Is A Step By The Ministry Of Public Works And The Ministry Of Agriculture To Achieve Food Swasembada Targets

Illustration (Photo: Doc Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) and the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) have agreed on a joint food program.

"Today we are following up and detailing what the previous coordination meeting discussed. God willing, next week we can start working in the field, there are several points focused on 12 provinces," said PU Minister Dody Hanggodo in his official statement, Friday, November 15.

Later, the implementation of the food self-sufficiency program will be carried out through two steps, namely intensification and extensification.

Intensification measures include increasing the area of planting through optimization of IP to 483,563 hectares (ha), increasing the area of planting through land optimization (OPLAH) covering an area of 351,017 ha (2024 Fiscal Year) and 500,000 ha (2025 Fiscal Year) as well as pumping an area of 1,000,000 ha and support for agricultural production facilities (behs, fertilizers, pesticides, ameliorants, agricultural tools and machinery, farmers and cultivators of IPHA technology fields).

Meanwhile, extensification measures include increasing the area of rice fields through the printing of 99,760 ha of rice fields in irrigation service areas that have been built and an area of 5,956 ha in areas where irrigation networks will be built, the printing of new fields covering an area of 500,000 ha in other locations as well as the support of agricultural production facilities (behs, fertilizers, pesticides, ameliorants, agricultural tools and machinery, farmers and rice fields cultivators).

On the same occasion, Deputy Minister (Wamen) of Public Works Diana Kusumastuti said that her party would optimize the operation of built dams to ensure that the water supply needs for irrigation are met.

"The existence of dam intervention will be able to ensure water supply for up to three planting seasons. Meanwhile, without dam intervention, it is only optimal to provide for one planting season," he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran explained that his party will optimize food production, including through the provision of superior fertilizers and seeds, pumping, OPLAH, printing of rice fields up to three million hectares and revitalizing irrigation systems.

Not only that, said Amran, his party will also involve millennial farmers and carry out traditional agricultural transformations to modern ones which can reduce production costs by 50 percent and increase production by 100 percent.

"The point is that the Ministry of Public Works will ensure its water supply, while we will optimize its facilities and cultivation," he said.