Agricom.id, JAKARTA – To anticipate the drought by accelerating the paddy planting, ministry of agriculture keeps monitoring every district in Indonesia to do Gerakan Percepatan Olah Tanah dan Tanam (GPOTT), such as, in District of Bekasi that Kelompok Tani Sri Rejeki and Srikandi did in Village of Kertasari, Sub district of Pebayuran.

Enie Tauruslina, Head of Balai Besar Peramalan Organisme Pengganggu Tumbuhan (BBPOPT) explained that there are stimulant to the activity, such as, the operational helps for 6 sub districts in the district.

“This is the follow up of what Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo told that we have to start anticipating the warning from Food and Agriculture Organization – the drought threats. It means that it needs to do every area cultivation and planting in June – July 2020,” she said in the GPOTT in Bekasi, Saturday (20/6/2020), as in the official written statement to Agricom.id.

The operational helps given to 6 sub districts covering 500 hectares (ha) were Sub district of Pebayuran covering 100 ha; Cikarang Timur covering 100 ha; Cikarang Pusat covering 100 ha; Sukatani covering 75 ha, Cabangbungin covering 75 ha; and Sukakarya covering 50 ha.

In the other spot, General Director of Food Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi said that at the principle, GPOTT is the action to accelerate the area cultivation to plant. He gave example, the abandoned areas, the post-harvest areas within enough humidity to grow seeds, and the areas next to the water sources (paddy fields, dry areas, and others) that could irrigation by optimizing the agriculture system tools.

“Including the areas which get the infrastructure helps but the people do not plant still,” he said.

Head of Food Plantation, District of Bekasi, Nayu Kulsum agreed that the goal to the activity is to encourage and accelerate the planting, and facilitate the farmers to cultivate their areas and plant to have the continuous production. Some sub districts should get the targets of GPOTT in Bekasi, they are, Cikarang Timur covering 100 ha, Cikarang Pusat covering 145 ha, Sukatani covering 24 hektar, Sukakarya covering 50 ha, Pebayuran covering 100 ha, Muara Gembong covering 200 ha and the total target would be 619 ha.

"We do not stop to encourage the farmers to cultivate their fields and plant paddy. We do hope that the farmers could optimize the helps to increase the paddy production in District of Bekasi,” he said.

In the chance, Head of Plantation Agency of District of Bekasi, Nani Suwarni and the officers; Head of Food Plantation, Nayu Kulsum; head of counseling; head of TPK, head of Horticulture; head of livestock; UPTD Penyuluhan; police chief; commander of army, and head of village representing head of sub district of Pebayuran did attend. (A2)