Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) believes that food estate development in Central Kalimantan's districts of Pulang Pisau and Kapuas is projected to boost the farmers' welfare, and other regions will benefit by emulating the model.
Jokowi noted during a visit to the food estate in Pulang Pisau District on Thursday that oranges, coconuts, shallots, and farmed fish will be produced in addition to rice.
"We will observe the result in the next three to four months. This approach is expected to boost the farmers' income, not only from the production of rice but also oranges, shallots, coconuts, and fish," he noted.
If the business model in Central Kalimantan is successful, it will be adopted for the development of food estates in other locations, where each region will establish one thousand hectares of food estate.
"We will strive to apply such a business model, and if found successful, we will emulate it in other regions," the president noted.
The government has targeted to develop 30 thousand hectares of food estate in 2020 in Central Kalimantan, of which 10 thousand hectares were located in Pulang Pisau District and 20 thousand hectares in Kapuas District.
It adopts the concept of integrated food development that will produce not only food crops but also plantation and other agricultural products. The food estate will serve as national food reserve and for distribution.
Development of the food estate will be a precautionary measure against the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) recent warning of a food crisis.
Moreover, the government has planned to develop food estates in Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and South Sumatra.
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