S Kalimantan national strategic agriculture buffer

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan 13/3 (AntaranewsKalsel) - Head of the South Kalimantan Agriculture and Horticulture Agency Fathurrahman said Governor H Sahbirin Noor's attention on regional development of strategic sectors, particularly agriculture, got the attention of central government.

"South Kalimantan is now listed as one of the supporting national food security, so that various aids to encourage national food self-sufficiency will continue to be poured," he said here Monday.

Based on the agricultural production data from his agency, strategic food production in the province can be maintained, and even increased.

In 2016, rice production increased by 5.45 percent from 2.14 million tonnes to 2.35 million tonnes. Maize production from 128,505 tonnes to 194,541 tonnes or up 44.10 percent. While soybean production in 2015 amounted to 10,536 tonnes and in 2016 became 22,512 tons, increased by 87.60 percent.

"The success improvement that we must sustain while maximizing efforts to improve productivity and harvested area on all kinds of strategic food," he said.

South Kalimantan in 2017 targeting production of rice, corn and soybeans (pajale) to increase at least three percent from 2016, through the help of the central government, both in seedlings and planting equipment.

Earlier, Governor Sahbirin Noor said, the agriculture sector is the lifeblood for the effort to improve people's welfare.