Agricom.id, BENGKULU – Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) did work visit to Village of Padang Merbau, Sub district of Seluma Selatan, District of Seluma, Bengkulu Province. SYL monitored the massive paddy harvest with the local Legislators and officers.

In his speech, SYL supported Bengkulu Province to be the main helper of food needs nationally. He thought that Bengkulu is the strategic province because it directly connects to South Sumatera Province.

"The harvest is the symbol that Bengkulu has the powerful potential to help the food needs nationally, namely rice,” he said, Thursday (3/12/2020) as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

SYL thought that Bengkulu Province is the fertile province because it has fertile land and enough water. He also took everyone to commit in accelerating the available natural resources.

“This is what I called as power of Bengkulu. If we want to increase the people’s welfare, improve the life, we have to improve the agriculture,” he said.

For information, Central Bureau of Statistic Indonesian Republic noted that the rice production in 2020 would be 31,63 million tons. The numbers are from the paddy harvest in 2020 covering 10,79 million hectares and paddy production which could be 55,16 million tons of milled dry grain.

"By the end of December 2020, we would have the early stock of rice reaching 5,9 million tons. If our rice production reached 31,63 million tons and the consumption reached 30 million tons of rice, by the end of this year, there would be stock about 7 million tons," SYL said.

Meanwhile, Governor in duty of Bengkulu, Dedy Ermansyah thanked for SYL visiting the agricultural areas in Bengkulu. He thought that the paddy production in Bengkulu in 2020 reached 256,472 tons. compared to 2019, it increased about 0,15 percent.

"If the numbers are conversed to be consumption, the rice production in 2020 increased 260 tons or 0,15 percent compared to last year,” he said.

To increase the agricultural production in Bengkulu Province, Ministry of Agriculture Indonesian Republic gave infrastructure helps for about  Rp 33,1 billion, within details, from General Directorate of (General Directorate of) Food Plantation reaching Rp 14,7 billion; from General Directorate of Agriculture Infrastructure reaching Rp 10,9 billion; from General Directorate of Plantation reaching Rp 2,8 billion; from General Directorate of Hortikultura reaching Rp 873 million; and from General Directorate of Livestock and Animal Health reaching Rp 3,6 billion. (A2)