S Kalimantan gears up to open 1.700 hectares of new rice fields

Banjarbaru, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The South Kalimantan Food Crops and Horticulture Office is ready to open 1.700 hectares of new rice fields that have been "clean and clear" or have no problems with both ownership and spatial planning.


Head of the agency Ir Syamsir Rahman in Banjarbaru on Monday (May 4, 2020) said, the 1.700 hectares of land is expected to be opened this year. "Our target for 2020 this rice fields will begin to be opened and to be ready for planting in 2021," he pointed out.

In addition to the 1.700 hectares land, he added, the agency is mapping a 100 thousand hectares land to ensure it is also clean and clear.

According to Syamsir, clean and clear, is now one of the requirements to open and managing land for food crops.

Clean means the land is not being used for other economic activities or occupied by people who are not entitled.

while clear means the size of the land is right, as stated in the certificate, and matches it boundaries.

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Related to food, he said, the rice production in 2019-2020 is still quite safe, even some areas in South Kalimantan could be surplus.

However, amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is feared the production in 2021 will not be able to meet the target due to a 50 percent budget reduction.

Even the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) is reduced by 70 percent, not to mention other sectors in the field of food crops also experienced reduction.

Syamsir viewed, the issue of food becomes crucial that should get more attention, especially in the handling of COVID-19 outbreak, compared to other sectors.

"I hope the budget for food and agriculture is not to be tinkered, because this sector is one of the front guards in economic and social defense in the face of a COVID-19," he said.

Farmers must get full support to be able to continue to produce without ignoring the rules and conditions for handling COVID-19.

In 2020, the Food Crops and Horticulture Agency Kalsel receives a budget of about Rp21 billion and according to provisions will be cut by 50 percent.

"Of course these conditions are very difficult to increase food production," he said.
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