Amran Sulaiman Accelerate Agricultural Intervention to Reduce Poverty in Alor

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman with his entourage on a working visit to Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Saturday (8/8/2026). (Dok - Kementan)

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has accelerated agricultural intervention in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) through food fortification and long-term plantation development to reduce poverty and improve people's welfare.

"Here poverty is still high. The fastest solution is agriculture. Therefore, we are working on both the short and long term," said the Minister of Agriculture during a working visit to Alor, as confirmed in Jakarta, Saturday.

The Minister of Agriculture carried out a working visit to Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, after hearing directly the aspirations of students from Alor, Adriano Padama, while giving a public lecture at Diponegoro University (Undip), Semarang on Thursday (6/8).

On this occasion, Adriano conveyed the condition of the people of Alor, ranging from problems with the price and distribution of rice to the need for government support to develop the agricultural sector.

This aspiration then prompted Minister of Agriculture Amran not to stop at the response from Jakarta, but to directly see the conditions of the community and the agricultural potential of Alor.

The Minister of Agriculture said that he deliberately canceled the agenda of the leadership meeting because he wanted to ensure that the issues raised by the students could be immediately followed up in the field.

"We immediately went down. We canceled the leadership meeting in Jakarta and immediately flew to Alor. We have seen, all our requests are fulfilled under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture," said the Minister of Agriculture.

According to the Minister, Adriano's aspiration shows that the voice of students can be an important reminder for the government regarding the real problems faced by the community in the region.

"He carries the aspirations of the people, not personal interests. I am proud of Adriano, this is NTT's best son. Aspirations like this must be controlled because they read the pulse of the community, knowing what the people really need," said Amran.

Upon arrival in Alor, the Minister of Agriculture immediately reviewed a number of locations and held dialogues with local governments and the community. From the review, he emphasized that poverty alleviation was one of the main targets of the Ministry of Agriculture's intervention in Alor.

The Minister of Agriculture sees that the agricultural sector has great potential to become a driving force for the economy of the people of Alor.

Therefore, the government is preparing a strategy that runs simultaneously, ranging from meeting food needs in the short term to developing plantation commodities that can become a source of income for the community in the long term.

"We secure rice, we give seeds, we prepare alsintan (agricultural tools and machines), and we prepare pumps. After that, we build long-term crops such as coconut, cocoa, and mete," said Amran.

For food needs, the Minister of Agriculture ensures that the availability of rice in Alor must be safe and the community can obtain affordable prices. He also asked Bulog to ensure that stocks are still available and carry out market operations if needed.

"Rice is safe, it is already in the warehouse. The price must be the same as in Jakarta, around Rp. 13 thousand. Don't let there be people who buy rice at Rp. 25 thousand or Rp. 30 thousand. If needed, Bulog will conduct a market operation," he said.

In addition to rice, the Ministry of Agriculture has prepared support for accelerating food production through rice and corn seeds, agricultural tools and machines, and pumps to support land with water sources.

During his visit, the Minister of Agriculture even added a number of support for irrigation and pumps based on the needs conveyed by the local government and the community.

In the long term, Amran encourages the development of commodities that are considered appropriate for Alor's agroclimatic conditions, especially coconut, cocoa, and guava. The development of these commodities is expected to become a sustainable source of income for the community because they can be harvested in the long term.

"We target a minimum of 10 thousand hectares of crops in Alor. If one hectare is managed by one family, it means that there are 10 thousand families who get a source of income. If one family has four people, about 40 thousand people can feel the benefits. Therefore, we must work hard so that poverty in Alor can be suppressed," said Amran.