Pursuit Of Swasembada Panga Target, Zulhas Asks Local Governments To Report Lacks Of Irrigation In Agricultural Land

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas). (Photo: Doc. Coordinating Ministry for Food)

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) asked local governments (Pemda) to report a shortage of agricultural irrigation in their respective regions. This step needs to be taken to pursue the target of food self-sufficiency.

This was stated by Zulkifli Hasan in a Coordination Meeting with the West Java Provincial Government and the Regency Government and City Government in West Java.

"Our emergency immediately reported where agriculture is not or there is no irrigation, which used to be the regent and governor's obligation to build. Now that is reported, the center will build the irrigation," he said in an official statement, Tuesday, December 24.

Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, emphasized that currently the central government can intervene to build irrigation, which was previously part of the city or district government.

Furthermore, Zulhas also requested that rice fields with an area of 1,000 to 5,000 hectares without irrigation be reported immediately. Because it will become a priority for irrigation development by the central government.

Irrigation can now be done by the center. We have a meeting today, we really ask that in West Java where 1,000 to 5,000 hectares of rice fields have no irrigation," he said

"Immediately it will be detailed where it is reported, what village. We will take care of this so that it becomes a priority to be accommodated after it is evaluated whether it has been done or not," he continued.

Apart from irrigation, Zulhas also conveyed several points in the coordination meeting. Among other things, cutting the distribution of fertilizers to subsidies; availability and food prices ahead of Christmas and New Year; absorption of rice by Bulog; potential fish farming ponds: and the environment in the Citarum Watershed (DAS).