Tanah Bumbu harvests 283 hectares rice during drought

Batulicin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The District Government of Tanah Bumbu, South Kalimantan, and the Jaya Tani Groups of Farmers harvested rice in a dry season covering an area of 283 hectares in Batulicin Sub-district.


"Then in October 2023, farmers will harvest rice covering 1000 hectares in Kusan Tengah Sub-district," said Head of Food Crops and Horticulture at the Tanah Bumbu Agriculture and Food Security Office (DKPP) Robby Chandra here, Saturday.

Farmers here harvest rice two to three times a year from their rain-fed lands dan they are not far from Kusan River.

They plant the superior varieties, such as Mekongga, Inpari, Inpari IR Nutri Zinc, and others.

Based on the rice productivity, in average the yield of their harvest reaches 6.5 tonnes per hectare.

"Our target for rice planting in 2023 is to reach 17,610 hectares, but we cannot calculate the results yet because some farmers are in the process of harvesting," he said.

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Robby estimates, the grain production will meet the target considering Tanah Bumbu Regency has a different climate cycle from other districts in South Kalimantan.

"When other districts experience rainy season, Tanah Bumbu experiences dry season," he expounded. 

For this reason, farmers work around this by scheduling early planting, so that water is still available during planting season. When dry season enters, farmers here beginning to harvest.

To continue to support food self-sufficient, the Tanah Bumbu government previously facilitates them with rice harvest tool managed by the Agriculture Office.

"Alhamdulillah (Thank God) during the dry season or El Nino, farmers are able to harvest in the second planting season and the results are quite satisfactory," said Robby.

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