Tanah Bumbu boosts rice production to strengthen food security

Batulicin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Food Security and Agriculture Agency (DKPP) of Tanah Bumbu, South Kalimantan Province, continues to boost lowland rice production to strengthen the district's food security.

"In the first planting season October 2023–March 2024, DKPP with farmers planted 9,236 hectares of rice," said Head of Food Crops and Horticulture of the DKPP Robby Chandra here, Monday.

In the second planting season April-September 2024, 1,623 hectares planted area has been realized.

Robbya said that the planting now has reached 10,859 hectares from the planting target of 17,557 hectare.

He assured that this year's rice planting target will continue to be boosted by speeding up planting.

The rice seeds planted are the varieties of impari, mekongga, impari IR nutria zinc and cigelas, with an average rice yield of 6.3 tons/hectare.

However, Robby admitted, farmers face several challanges during the planting season, including some rice fields do not yet have infrastructure, production facilities, land and water.

Some farmers also have not used superior seeds due to limited knowledge.

Other challange is the impact of climate change, such as floods and droughts in some areas.

"To overcome this, DKPP continues to build infrastructures, provide production facilities, rehabilite irrigation network, agriculture tools and machinery through regional and state budget," Robby explained.

The local government has also enforced Sustainable Food Agriculture Land Regulation (LP2B) with the aim to control land conversion.

In addition, managing planting schedule to anticipate the impact of climate change, helping with superior and certfied plant varieties.

"The government also encouraging farmer regeneration, attracting the interest of younger generation to the agricultural sector by using agricultural mechanization, involving youth in farmer groups, and YESS program," said Robby.