Ministry Donates 40 Excavators for Swamp

Marabahan, S Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said to develop a swamp area in Jejangkit Muara village, Barito Kuala District, South Kalimantan, the ministry will donate 40 excavators.


"From the allocation of 215 excavators donated throughout Indonesia, 40 of them will be handed over to Barito Kuala for the development of swampland," Amran said in Marabahan on Thursday.

According to him, the procurement of excavators is to accelerate irrigation systems, to open up paddy fields, agricultural roads, irrigation channel repairment, artificial lake making, maintenance of the structure of agricultural land in swampland, and other agricultural areas.

He expects an abundance of resources in South Kalimantan, with fertile soils and abundant water, will promote the economy of community in the region.

Amran said he do not want Kalimantan to depend on other provinces on food availability.

He remarked that, based on the plan, the development of the Barito Kuala agricultural area will involve labor-intensive industries from surrounding communities by building modern agriculture, using agricultural machinery for rice cultivation and for rice harvesting.

While the cultivation of developed commodities, such as rice, corn, and soybeans, he explained, are of superior seed, 

According to Amran, still a lot of swamp land has not been handled properly but has a variety of potentials.

"South Kalimantan has a swampland area of ??67 thousand hectares," he said.