Marabahan, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Farmers in Jejangkit Muara Village, Barito Kuala District, conducted the first rice harvest together with Agriculture Ministry's Agriculture Infrastructure (PSP) Director General Sarwo Edhy and the Agriculture Ministry's Research and Development Agency (Bapelitbangtan) Head Fadjry Djufry, Wednesday (Nov 06, 2019).
The harvest at the former location of 38th World Food Day commemoration also participated by South Kalimantan Agriculture Agency head and head of Agricultural Planning, Research and Development Agency (Bapelitbangtan), Regent of Barito Kuala represented by Government Expert Staff Suyud Sugiono, Administrative Assistant Ahmad Mawarni, Commander of 1005 Marabahan District Military Command Lt.Col. Cav. Sugianto SE, Head of Agriculture Agency Murniati, other officials, and community.
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The Bapelitbangtan held the activity to support the program of Serasi (Save Swampland Prosper Farmers) in the fiscal year of 2019. The support is implemented in the demfarm (demonstration of farmer-fishermen business in groups), superimposed, technical guidance and assistance.
Director General Sarwo Edhy remarked that Indonesia has a sleeping giant of monotonous swampland of about 34.000 hectares. But based on the research by land expert only 10 million hectares could be used as productive land and has expanded to 17 million hectares.
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In 2019, the goverment has determined three province to work on 500,000 hectares of land as pilot project, namely South Kalimantan 200.000 hectares, South Sumatra 250.000 hectares, and South Sulawesi 50.000 hectares.
But the result of the last validation showed South Sumatra have only worked on 200.000 hectares, South Kalimantan 120.000 hectares, and South Sulawesi 33.200 hectares.
The shortfall, he continued, then offered to other provinces. Namely 25.000 hectares allocated for Central Kalimantan and 25.600 hectares for Lampung, thus it complete the pilot project of 500.000 hectares in 2019.
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In South Kalimantan, Sarwo Edhy mentioned, the development of the monotonuous swampyland in Jejangkit as a demonstration plot implemented by the Central Balitbangtan with the aim to increase Planting Index (IP) and two to three times harvest. The result was from originally only once a year harvest and a productivity of about 1.5 - 2 tons per hectare, now with the optimization program it increased above 5 tons per hectare with the touch of technology and by providing certified superior rice seeds.
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Meanwhile, Fadjry Djufry said, the support of innovation and technology in the Serasi program was very advanced.
According to him, the main problem of agricultural development in swamplands is labor and institutions that still need to find a solution.
