Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman expressed his special attention for South Kalimantan Province, which he said has the potential to produce rice up to 5 million tons per year.
He made a statement at a coordination meeting to accelerate land optimization (oplah) and produce rice fields towards Indonesia's food self-sufficiency in South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan in Banjarmasin, Monday night.
"Last year's land optimization in South Kalimantan was 80 thousand hectares and this year becomes 120 thousand hectares," he said.
According to him, productive agricultural land in this province, which totals 500 thousand hectares, if properly maintained can produce 5 million tons.
"This is multiplied by 10 tons per hectare," he pointed out.
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"This means that the national rice shortage can be covered from South Kalimantan," he said.
This is the reason, he said, that South Kalimantan is one of the national food supports.
"I have conveyed to the President that South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan support national food," he stated.
Especially that this province in 2025, Amran said, enter the national program to print rice fields covering an area of 75,000 hectares.
"That is why this region becomes a big concern to the President, we will come here almost every Sunday to ensure that food self-sufficiency program in South Kalimantan can be realized," he said.
To this end, he asked every parties to joint hands to realize the noble ideals of this country with the spirit of Red and White.
In fact, he said, the budget to realizing national food-self sufficiency has been increased significantly, from IDR6.9 trillion in 2024 to IDR29 trillion.
"In each of his speech the President emphasized food-self sufficiency in the shortest possible time," he said.
He was grateful that food production in 2024 was good, that the import was only 3 million tons from the initial plan of 10 million tons.
"This year's calculation is that we have a defisit of 5 million tons, Alhamdulillah (Thank God) until tonight it was only 500,000 tons. This was because of the hard work of all of us," he said.
He is optimistis that as soon as possible, with large-scale agricultural movement, food-self sufficiency will be realized.
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