South Kalimantan Ready to Become National Food Barn

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - Regional Secretary of South Kalimantan M Arsyadi said the government is now preparing to become a focus of national food barn through a variety of programs ready to be launched.


Arsyadi here on Tuesday said that only with sufficient food, the durability and the foundation of the regional economy will be stronger than any shocks or crises.

The current economic crisis, he said, be one of the evidence, that the industrial and natural resources are very vulnerable to economic shocks from outside influences. Under these conditions, he added, would be very different if the area has had a strong food security.

"Hence, the medium-term development plans and long-term of South Kalimantan is focused on the development of agro-based agricultural sector, thus providing the portion of the budget for the sector to be larger," he said.

Agriculture-based agro-industry which is expected to materialize within the next 10-15 years, he added, is the development of agriculture at large, not just the food in the form of rice, but also livestock sector, fisheries and plantations.

Next, the province not only will produce crude palm oil, but also CPO with its derivatives, such as cooking oil, technology, beauty as well as other sectors.

In addition to increasing the budget, added Arsyadi, the government has also established the Regional Regulation of Sustainable Agriculture. Through these regulations, the provincial government has set several agricultural areas of each district should not be converted for any purpose other than agriculture.