Balangan helps corn farmers with machine

Paringin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Balangan Agriculture Office provided agricultural machinery and tools (alsintan) assistance to hybrid maize farmers in Mantuyan Village, Halong Sub-district.

Head of the office Rahmadi Uuen said one of the benchmarks for advanced agriculture is the process using machinery and tools (alsintan), if this is fulfilled the farmers will be prosperous.

The assistance provided was corn seed for an area of 3,500 hectares, tools, and machinery in the form of two corn processors, two mobile corn shellers, and three corn sheller machines.

"In addition, there will be an assistance of hybrid rice seeds for an area of 5,000 hectares and rubber rejuvenation for an area of 100 hectares," he said.

Previously, an estimated 30 thousand hectares of agricultural land in the district was affected by the flood. Thus, he said, the assistance for the 20 thousand hectares comes from the state budget and the remaining from the local budget.

Head of the South Kalimantan Food Crops and Horticulture (TPH) Agency Syamsir Rahman in Paringin on Tuesday said that Balangan to be included in the priority program to receive assistance.

"The Balangan agricultural sector is very potential. The basic area of it rice field reaches 30 thousand hectares, but it has not been maximized. This is what we will encourage to be advanced," he said.

Balangan Regent Abdul Hadi expressed his gratitude to the agency for helping the agriculture sector in the district.

Abdul Hadi said that agriculture is one of the priority sectors of his government to realize the prosperity of the local people.

"To develop all sectors it is not enough just to rely on the APBD (district's budget). Heads of the government working units should be proactive picking up the ball at the central," he said.

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