Agricom.id, EAST JAVA – Head of Plantation Agency and Food Security, East Java Province, Hadi Sulistyo said that the provincial government of East Java urged the paddy planting acceleration heading to the wet drought season to come. It is the order of President Joko Widodo and Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo to the Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

“It starts in six rice producer regions in East Java, they are, Jember, Ngawi, Nganjuk, Bojonegoro, and Tuban. The others would do too, including District of Sumenep for planting paddy,” he said in Surabaya, Friday (10/7/2020) as in the official written statement to Agricom.id.

He also said that the drought in this season is the wet drought and in July, the rain still falls down to gather and to plant paddy. But the wet drought would have the negative, that is, the pests and diseases, namely rats and planthopper.

He thought that the agency suggested the plantation agency in the districts and cities and also the farmers to be aware of the pests. He said that his side coordinates to anticipate the issue.

“We have prepared the antidotes for the pest which could be sent to the regions. If they need the antidotes anytime, we would supply. The regions should propose in the first place but if the regions could solve the issue by their efforts, that would be better,” he said.

About the impact of corona virus (Covid-19) to the agriculture, he thought that there would be few but not big enough. He continued, the agriculture is the safest sector of the Covid-19 pandemic impacts.

“In the distribution of the agriculture result, his side coordinated with the transportation agency, trade and industry agency, and the task force so that the agriculture results could be sold and would not be the burden for the farmers. We have mapped the food stocks. Do not let them face the issue because East Java is the mainstay in Indonesia. We have surplus paddy,” he said.

In the other spot, General Director of Food Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi told that the paddy planting acceleration in April-September 2020 would be held in 8 mainstay regions, 9 major regions and 16 developing regions. Ministry of agriculture would give the seeds helps, the machines, insurance, and development so that the farmers could accelerate the planting and succeed to make the high harvests.

“This is the time for every region to prove its commitment to contribute to the people. The planting acceleration is the main thing to do,” he said.

He also emphasized that based on what Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo told, the paddy planting acceleration should run since the early of this month. The officers of ministry of agriculture would directly see in the fields to ensure that every region has the same will to accelerate the planting. In the second planting season, the target would cover 5,6 million hectares (ha). From the numbers, in July to December there would be 12,5 - 15 million tons of rice.

"The harvest in January – June covered 5,83 million hectares within 29,31 million tons milled dry grain," he mentioned.

For information, East Java is one region having the food barn status nationally. The province had the harvest in the first semester of 2020 reaching 1.120.153 ha. The paddy production in the first semester could be 6.185.310 tons of milled dry grain or equal to 4.066.348 tons of rice. The consumption potential in the province could be 2.133.143 tons of rice and in the first semester 2020, the rice was surplus reaching 1.933.205 tons in the province. (A2)