Jokowi's Reason For Building A Food Estate In Central Sumba: 34 Percent Of Poverty Is Here

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Capture YouTube Screenshot of Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo reviewed the construction of a food estate in Central Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara today. Food estate is one of the government's programs in food security.

Jokowi explained the reason for the government choosing one of the food estate locations to be in Central Sumba. Jokowi said that the poverty rate in the district was still quite high.

"Why is it done in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), especially in Central Sumba Regency? Because we have to say what it is, the data I have, 34 percent of poverty is here", Jokowi said in the Presidential Secretariat YouTube broadcast, Tuesday, February 23.

Then, the harvest in Central Sumba is still quite new, namely rice in a year. Therefore, Jokowi wants the Central Sumba food estate to also manage corn and soybeans, and speed up the harvest period.

Currently, the development of a food barn in Central Sumba has only prepared 5 thousand hectares of land. The details are 3 thousand hectares for rice and 2 thousand hectares for corn.

"But in the future, it will be expanded again to an area of 10 thousand hectares, which will be divided by 5.600 hectares for rice and 4.400 hectares for corn", he explained.

However, Jokowi said that there were problems in the construction of this food estate. East Nusa Tenggara Province is an area with little water supply.

In fact, this location already has a well drilled into the rice fields, built from 2015 to 2018. Then, there is also a large reservoir that has been built.

Unfortunately, according to Jokowi, this is not enough. "It is still far from sufficient, still lacking. I have ordered the Minister of Public Works to see the possibility of a reservoir or dam being built, then additional reservoirs and drilling wells", said Jokowi.

"I think, if this is done, I believe in the food estate in Central Kalimantan, in North Sumatra, and also in NTT, we will be able to build a good food security for our country", he concluded.