Agricom.id, PULANG PISAU – Finishing his work in South Sumatera, Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) should go to Central Kalimantan Province in Village of Belanti Siam, Sub district of Pandih Batu, District of Pulang Pisau, Saturday (12/09), to know and see the preparation progress of the areas in food estate. About the land preparation, he told his officers to do mechanism comprehensively. It is planned that President Joko Widodo would plant (the plantations) for the first time. “Dear general directors, every area should be processed, cultivated by tractors. Use the swamp tractors, do mechanism, point the good areas,” he said.

In the food estate, he hoped that every commodity could be developed massively. This is the breakthrough to increase the food production and stocks nationally, namely to anticipate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

He also urged that orange, coconut, duck, fish should be planted and developed besides paddy and corn. There should be clear schemes of program, plans, and results.

The region development of Food Estate in Farmers’ Corporate Base in Central Kalimantan should be done through the swamp extensification and intensification, developed from the upstream to downstream sectors among related ministry and institution.

In 2020, food estate development is focused in about 30 thousand hectares in District of Kapuas and District of Pulang Pisau. The area intensification should increase the agricultural areas in swamp by the agriculture infrastructures.

General Director of Agriculture Infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture, Sarwo Edhy who joined the work visit of Minister SYL, told that in Pulang Pisau the areas in food estate would cover 10.000 hectares (ha) in this year.

“To accelerate it, the areas would be processed in phase. General Directorate of Agriculture Infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture would support by giving the tools, such as, 200 units of two vehicle – tractors, and 150 units of four vehicle – tractors. They would be enough to cultivate the areas. President Joko Widodo is planned to do the first planting,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

He also mentioned that the development concepts in the food estate are by the upstream to downstream approach, integrated food plantation, animals, and plantation.

“Besides, the modern agricultural and sustainable concepts would be developed too. To support the cultivation, the irrigation both the primary, secondary, and tertiary nets would be rehabilitated,” he mentioned.

In this September, the planting would be focused in District of Pulang Pisau within the targets 1.921 hectares. The details are 501 ha would be in Sub district of Maliku, 1.237 ha in Sub district of Pandih Batu, 38 ha in Kahatyan Hilir, and 145 ha in Sebangau Kuala.

The productivity of the areas could be 4 to 5 tons/ha of grain within the planting index 200. The varieties to plants are Inpari 42, Inpari 32, and hybrid. The corn planting would be in direct sowing by the hybrid variety would be by moving planting. (A2)