Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has said that land intensification and extensification will be the government's strategies to achieve the food self-sufficiency target.
Land intensification refers to increasing the planting index or the average time of planting and harvesting within a year on the same land, Sulaiman explained here on Tuesday.Indonesia's land intensification efforts have included water pumping and land optimization.
Meanwhile, for extensification, he said, one of the efforts taken has been increasing the creation of rice fields. The government is targeting to develop one million hectares of rice fields within one year.
The rice field development program will be implemented in several regions such as Merauke, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Aceh, and Jambi.
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"In extensification, we are aiming to create three million hectares of rice fields; one million hectares per year," he informed.
The minister expressed the hope that those strategies will allow Indonesia to achieve the target of food self-sufficiency within four years.
Earlier, special staff to Agriculture Minister for agricultural policies, Sam Herodian, underscored that the program for creating three million hectares of rice fields in 2025 has the full support of President Prabowo Subianto.
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According to him, the program is a step forward toward building a stronger Indonesia in terms of food security. The program will not only increase the planting area but also the planting index from once per year previously to twice or even thrice a year.
While delivering his inaugural address here on Sunday (October 20, 2024), President Prabowo expressed optimism that Indonesia will achieve food self-sufficiency in four to five years.
He affirmed that the optimism springs from his discussions with experts. To this end, it is crucial to realize food self-sufficiency to prevent dependence on food imports from other countries.