Gov’t Designates C. Kalimantan as National Food Estate

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo inspects location of food estate and Cash Labor-intensive Irrigation Program on peatland area in Gadabung Village, Central Kalimantan, Thursday (11/6).

The Government has announced it is preparing Central Kalimantan Province as a new food shed through the food estate program.

According to Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the program is expected to significantly increase agricultural products that will meet the national’s demand, the global market, and is also expected to develop agricultural sector evenly across the country.

“The President’s directive (to implement the program) is a token of appreciation for Central Kalimantan since the province will become the center of attraction. This is a great challenge,” the Minister said during the inspection to the location of food estate and Cash Labor-intensive Irrigation Program on peatland area in Gadabung Village, Pendih Batu Subdistrict, Pulau Pisang Regency, Central Kalimantan, Thursday (11/6).

The Minister went on to say that the food estate is a cluster project to develop production of vegetables, fruits, and crops to meet the basic necessities of all Indonesians, adding that the Government will also develop agricultural facilities and infrastructures, such as retention basin and irrigation.

“We will develop horticulture industry and animal husbandry. Thus, the food estate is not only a matter of crops such as rice and corn. Since the development will be based on clusters, each region must be mapped. There will be clusters for agricultural products, animal husbandry, and so on,” he added.

The Minister also pointed out that the concept of food estate covers food diversification which is developed on 164,000 hectares of land. The program is also expected encourage the neighboring provinces to increase their crops production, he added

On that occasion, the Minister called on Governor of Central Kalimantan, Territorial Military Commander (Pangdam), Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), Military Resort Command (Danrem), Regional Police Chief (Kapolda), Regional Intelligence Agency Head, and the Atorney General to join hands in supporting and developing this food estate program.

In the meantime, Governor of Central Kalimantan Sugianto Sabran expressed his gratitude for the Central Government’s trust in making Central Kalimantan a national foodshed.

For that reason, the Governor also called on Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda) and stakeholders to support the program.

“Central Kalimantan harbors a huge potential for agriculture, such as in Kotawaringin Timur and Barito Timur Regencies. Therefore, we must improve our agricultural sector. I thank the Minister for his directives. We, the regional government, is ready to work. Before the President visits the province, we must be ready,” the Governor said.

For the record, Central Kalimantan is a rich and fertile region that has successfully developed new varieties of Green Super Rice (GSR), namely Inpari 42 and SUPADI Hybrid Rice.

In addition, the province also produces corn that meet the national demand. In 2015 alone, production of corn in Central Kalimantan reached 8,940 tons. The production increased by 1,000 percent in 2019 to 71,000 – 118,000 tons.

The size of cropland in Central Kalimantan amounts to 186,510 hectares in 2018, exceeding the area of national cropland of 136,486 hectares which is stipulated in Decree of the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/ National Land Agency Number: 686/SK-PG.03/XII/2019 dated 17 December 2019 on the Stipulation of Land for National Cropland 2019. (Ministry of Agriculture PR/EN)

Translated by : Rany Anjany
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas