Developing Sustainable Agriculture, President: We Expect Farmers’ Income to Increase

Detiktoday.com – President Joko Widodo inspected the location for developing a new food estate or food barn during his working visit to Central Kalimantan Province on Thursday, October 8, 2020 while still implementing health protocols.

During his visit this time, the President reviewed the development of a food barn in Belanti Siam Village, Pandih Batu District, Pulang Pisau Regency, after a similar visit last July, the Head of State reviewed developments in Kapuas District.

“Today I returned to Central Kalimantan Province, especially now in Pulang Pisau Regency. We want to ensure the start of the food estate development,” said the President in his statement after the review.

The new food barn in Pulang Pisau Regency, by 2020, is targeted to develop 10,000 hectares of land. Meanwhile, for those in Kapuas Regency, 20,000 hectares of land are prepared for development by the end of this year.

In Belanti Siam, Pulang Pisau, the President who appears to be accompanied by among them the Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, and Deputy Governor of Central Kalimantan Habib Ismail Bin Yahya witnessed swamp land cultivation using a special floating tractor to then continue to cultivate rice using automatic rice planting machines or rice transplants to fertilization using unmanned technology or drones.

“Earlier, for example fertilization, we used drones. Then to plow the fields using a floating tractor, this is a special tractor. I asked how many hectares could one day be? The operator said it could be two hectares. This is the speed (required) because what we are going to do is an expanse that is very wide so that it needs mechanization and modern tools, “he said.

In addition, several technologies that are widely applied in the Belanti Siam food barn area include water management technology, improving water quality and water utilization in tidal land, horticulture both vegetables and fruits, as well as fish farming and plantations.

The President said that the land in Belanti Siam is not only planted with rice, but is also combined with oranges, shallots and coconuts on the sides of the rice fields. This is coupled with fish farming at each irrigation point with abundant water in the area.

“With these methods we hope that farmers’ income will increase. Not only from rice, but also from oranges, shallots, coconuts, fish, and from (livestock) ducks,” he added.

To note, the farmer corporation will be the basis for the development of this new food storage area in Central Kalimantan which will be carried out in an integrated manner covering agriculture, plantations, and even livestock in an area.

The farmers who work on the land and livestock will then be consolidated in farmer groups by first being facilitated by both facilities and infrastructure as well as other supports.

The government itself wants to strive for a sustainable business model ecosystem for the agricultural sector that grows positively and drives the economy amid a pandemic. Not only focus on cultivation affairs, but also on the marketing and absorption of agricultural products obtained.

“Combinations of business models like this are what we will try first. As soon as we see success and good results, we will replicate this business model in other places per thousand hectares of land,” he said.