Before Stepping Down, Jokowi Targets To Build 61 Dams And 4,500 Dams

Jokowi received an award for a resilient agri-food system from IRRI. (Setpres/VOI/Diah YouTube screenshot)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) revealed that the target that must be achieved until his term ends in 2024 is to build 61 dams to 4,500 reservoirs. Infrastructure development in the agricultural sector has been carried out since 2015.

This was conveyed by Jokowi when he received the award for a resilient agriculture-food system and rice self-sufficiency in 2019-2021 through the use of rice innovation technology from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

“As far as I remember, 29 large dams have been inaugurated so far and this year 38 dams will be completed again. And by 2024 we will complete approximately 61 dams plus 4,500 dams, and 1.1 million irrigation networks that we have built over the past 7 years," Jokowi said at the State Palace, Sunday, August 14.

Jokowi revealed that the improvement of agricultural infrastructure under his leadership was accompanied by the use of superior rice varieties as well as intensification and extensification programs to spur an increase in rice agricultural production in the country so that Indonesia succeeded in being self-sufficient.

In 2019, rice production in the country was 31.3 million tons, the same amount as production in 2020 and 2021. As for the rice stock owned by Indonesia until the end of April 2022, based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), it reached 10, 2 million tons.

"Our stock (rice) in the field was the highest at the end of April 2022, which was 10.2 million tons. If you ask where the goods are? It's in the community, in farmers, in restaurants as well as in Bulog plus several food industries, "explained Jokowi.

Jokowi also explained that the surplus or stock of rice that was owned in the midst of the world food crisis was one of the indicators that Indonesia had won an award for a good food security system from IRRI.

"This is the reason why today we were given a certificate that Indonesia is considered to have a good food security system and is food self-sufficient," he said.