Food Estate Area Pulang Pisau Kalsel Enters Rice Harvest Period

Farmers in Pulang Pisau Regency, Central Kalimantan, are harvesting their agricultural areas using a combiner. ANTARA/HO-Humas Ministry of Agriculture

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) said that the Food Estate area in Pulang Pisau Regency, Central Kalimantan, has entered the rice harvest period so that it can supply rice availability to meet the needs of the community. "Several locations on Pulau Pisau are harvested from February to mid-March 2024 as a peak," said Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman in a statement in Jakarta, Antara, Monday, February 26. Amran said he continued to encourage regions in Indonesia to oversee the harvest season in 2024. According to him, the main harvest activity will strengthen the nation's food security for the next few months. "In overseeing the increase in domestic food production, the Ministry of Agriculture continues to provide assistance and assistance to Pulang Pisau farmers," said Amran. In addition, Amran also continues to remind farmers to insure their rice fields through Padi Farmer Business Insurance (AUTP). This is important considering the weather, which is still anomalous, makes agriculture vulnerable to crop failure. The AUTP program, said Amran, aims to provide protection for rice farming businesses that experience crop failure due to various factors such as floods, droughts, or OPT attacks. "The government provides farmer insurance premium assistance as an effort to maintain the business continuity of rice farming," Amran said. Meanwhile, the Head of the Home Agriculture Service, Pisau Godfriedson, said that the main harvest was in five sub-districts which had only been harvested about 20 percent of the 7,164 hectares. "There are about 199 hectares of harvest. So there are still 6,976 hectares estimated to be harvested in mid-March to early April in stages with an average yield of 5.5 tons of GKP per ha,” explained Gofriedson. In Sebangau Mulya Village, for example, said Gofriedson, currently harvests 50 hectares from 60 hectares planted. Meanwhile, in Tahai Baru Village, it is harvesting 25 hectares of the 730 hectares planted. "Currently, a total of 9 villages are harvesting from 5 sub-districts. Productivity is also various, ranging from 2-5 tons per hectare," said Gofriedson. Head of the Horticultural and Livestock Food Crops Service (TPHP) Central Kalimantan Sunarti appreciated the implementation of the rice harvest at Pulang Pisau. He called Pulang Pisau one of the largest suppliers of rice in the Central Kalimantan region.

"With this rice harvest, we hope that the harvest can meet the needs of the people of Pulang Pisau Regency and Central Kalimantan in general," said Sunarti. In terms of assistance, Sunarti emphasized that the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government will pay special attention, especially in terms of fertilizers, agricultural machinery (alsintan), and irrigation.