Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The Food Security, Agriculture and Fisheries Office of Banjarmasin City, South Kalimantan, is developing superior variety rice of Mekongga with the hope to have a good harvest in 2024.
Head of the offfice Yuliansyah Effendi here on Sunday said this type of superior rice can be harvested within four months of planting.
The Mekongga rice, has been planted by Karya Bersama combined farmers groups (Gapoktan) in Sungai Lulut Urban Village, East Banjarmasin.
"It is estimated that the production will be 4.48 tons per hectare," he said.
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Yuliansyah informed that the development of this variety was the success of rice demonstration plot for planting acceleration beginning November 23, 2023 covering two hectares.
"In at least a day or two it will be ready to be harvested. This is the result of planting intensification effort by Gapoktan Karya Bersama and should be appreciated, because it is beyond the habits of local community in planting rice," he said.
The success of this harvest, he said, will become an educational opportunity for other farmers in East Banjarmasin and other sub-districts to apply planting techniques for superior varieties.
"So it is hoped it can increase overall agricultural productivity in this region or IP 2," he said.
Due to this success, he appealed to farmers to do the same by planting superior variety of rice twice a year.
"In the future we also plan to plant twice a year another superior variety, Siam Madu, which has a similar texture as Unus or other Siam, because it is a bit dry not fluffier," he said.
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