Banjarmasin govt buys five hectares land per year for agriculture

Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The City Government of Banjarmasin is committed to buying five hectares paddy fields per year in order to increase agricultural assets and maintain food security.

Head of the city Food Security, Agriculture and Fisheries Service M Makhmud here on Saturday said that the purchase of productive rice field belonging to residents is to realize the city legislative council (DPRD) suggestion.

He admitted that the city government have to increase agricultural land, because the remaining land for agriculture in Banjarmasin is only 2,069 hectares.

With the remaining land, rice production will not meet the needs in the city.

"(In fact) agricultural land in South and East Banjarmasin areas has the potential to decrease again eroded by settlement and housing,” he pointed out.

This is the reason that the city government agreed to the DPRD's proposal related to purchasing of land as productive asset for sustainable rice production.

Banjarmasin government is also interested in the floating paddy field pattern and will study the costs required for additional planting media.

“Let's examine it first, is it profitable or not? Because in Banjarmasin we still use a system of one harvest a year,” he said.

Previously, Commission II of Banjarmasin DPRD proposed that the city government increae agricultural asset for food security.
 
"Agricultural land in our area continues to decrease due to housing development and others. There must be efforts to defend it from the city government," said Chairman of Commission II Awan Subarkah.
 
Subarkah opined that purchasing agricultural land is an effective way to run sustainable rice production in Banjarmasin.

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