HSU Society Not Consume Local Rice

Amuntai, S Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - The majority of the people of North Hulu Sungai (HSU) do not consume the rice produced by local farmers. They consume rice brought from Gambut, Banjar District, South Kalimantan. 

As a result, local rice production is mostly sold outside the region, such as East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

Head of Food Supply and Distribution Division Entin Listianti inAmuntai on Thursday said the people of HSU prefer unus varieties of rice than Ciherang cultivated by many farmers in HSU.

However, Entin added, HSU farmers still choose to cultivate Ciherang, because of the condition of land in an area of ??90 percent of swamp is more suitable to be planted with this type of rice.

"The problem is, farmers in HSU can not plant unus rice, because of the long planting period of about 9 months, while the agricultural land in HSU inundated periodically every 6 months," Entin explained.

She said Ciherang rice varieties are more suitable to be planted in agricultural land in HSU District because the planting period is shorter only about 4 months.

Although the people of HSU do not consume Ciherang rice, the farmers do not mind producing it, because it has its market share in East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

She said almost every year the farmland is inundated, especially if there is a flood disaster, the puddle will last longer because of almost 90 percent of the area of ??HSU consists of swampland.

Based on data from Agriculture Agency of rice production in HSU in 2017 as many as 131,787 tons of dry-mill-rice with planting area reach 25,343 hectares and harvest area 23,293 hectares.