Minister Of Agriculture Amran Asks For Access To Water And Fertilizer For Farmers In Siak Don't Make It Difficult

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

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman emphasized the government's commitment to defending the interests of farmers, especially in terms of irrigation water access and distribution of subsidized fertilizers.

This was conveyed by the Minister of Agriculture when reviewing the People's Rice Field Printing and Optimization (OPLAH) program in Central Village, Sabak Auh District, Siak Regency, Riau, Wednesday, July 23.

"Water from nature is the right of farmers. Do not let it be detained and made difficult. I ask the Dandim, the Chief of Police, Kajari, all to go to the field. Prioritize farmers, prioritize the small people," said Amran in his statement.

On that occasion, the Minister of Agriculture also asked the River Basin Center (BWS) to immediately repair damaged irrigation canals in the area. According to him, the acceleration of infrastructure improvement is very crucial so that food production is not disrupted.

"I ask that this irrigation be repaired immediately, complete all repairs in this area, immediately work on it," said Amran.

In addition to irrigation issues, the practice of selling subsidized fertilizers above the Highest Retail Price (HET) which is still found in the field is also in the spotlight of the Minister of Agriculture.

He emphasized that he would not tolerate rogue distributors and was ready to revoke their permits. "The state must attend. Who is playing with fertilizer, I revoke the permit," said Amran.

Amran also reminded the importance of the seriousness of local governments in strengthening national food security amid the threat of a global crisis. "If food is problematic, the country is also problematic. We intercept it from upstream," he said.

Meanwhile, Siak Regent Afni Zulkifli expressed his regional readiness to support the national food self-sufficiency program. He said the area of rice fields in Siak reached 4,183 hectares spread across 7 sub-districts, with the Plantation Index (IP) reaching 250.

"Farming is our big dream, and we have placed it as the main vision and mission of the Siak Regency Government. Only in Siak can swamp fields harvest IP 250, this is what farmers say, sir. This is extraordinary," said Afni.

However, Afni also revealed the main challenge of agriculture in her area, namely limited access to water. He highlighted the water source from the Giam Siak Kecil conservation area which is actually more widely utilized by industrial companies than for agriculture.

As a solution, the Siak Regency Government proposes the construction of a long storage or small reservoir covering an area of 100 hectares on ex-HTI land. According to him, if the water needs can be met, then Siak has the potential to increase the planting intensity to three to four times a year.