Vice President Ma'ruf Amin Encourages Agriculture To Be A Pillar During Crisis

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo visited Guler Farm Nature in Kandawati Village, Tangerang, Banten on Wednesday (5/10/2022). (ANTARA/BPMI Setwapres)

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin encourages agriculture to be one of the pillars in anticipating the world economic crisis which is predicted to occur in 2023.

"It turns out that when we are facing a pandemic and approaching a food crisis, the support is agriculture," said Vice President Ma'ruf after visiting Guler Farm Nature, in Kandawati Village, Tangerang, Banten, as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 5.

According to the Vice President, Indonesia has a lot of natural wealth, what is needed is a way to continue to innovate so that agricultural production can be more abundant.

"In West Papua, there are more than 125 kinds of bananas, that's just in West Papua. It means, we are very rich, but underdeveloped. Therefore, I hope that it will continue to be developed, there should be no idle land and no idle labor," said the Vice President.

In response to this, Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo promised to continue to develop agricultural innovation in all regions in Indonesia.

"The vice president always orders that not only in that place, but also in the surrounding areas (to be built). We are ready," said Syahrul.

On the other hand, the Minister of Agriculture reported that food security in Indonesia is currently quite good and has been recognized by the world.

"The Institute of Rice Research International gave an award to the President for the resilience and food security system in Indonesia," said Syahrul.

The Vice President also appreciated the idea of ​​converting a 3-hectare rice field into a tourist spot that offers stunning views of the rice fields, equipped with a "digital farming" system pilot and a greenhouse as an education for the community, selfie points, restaurants, and coffee shops. In addition, the area is also equipped with a prayer room, toilets, and a large parking area.