President Jokowi Inspects Food Estate in Pulang Pisau Regency

President Jokowi inspects the food estate project in Pulang Pisau Regency, Central Kalimantan Province, Thursday (8/10). (Photo by: Press Bureau of Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, on Thursday (8/10), conducted a working visit to Central Kalimantan to inspect the food estate project designed to strengthen national food security.

For the record, President Jokowi was scheduled to go to the area for the food estate project located in Pulang Pisau Regency to inspect the food estate project, rice cultivation, fish cages, and duck farms.

“Starting in 2020, we will develop 10,000 hectares of land in Pulang Pisau (Regency) and 20,000 hectares of land in Kapuas Regency,” the President said during the inspection in Pulang Pisau Regency.

The President stated that the agricultural land will be developed using modern agricultural machines and tools. “We use drones for spraying fertilizers, use floating tractors to plow the fields,” he said.

Using the special tractors, the President said, in a day, farmers could work on 2 hectares of land. “This is an acceleration of speed because what we are going to work on is a very wide expanse, we need mechanization of modern tools to make sure of the speed,” he added.

The food estate area, the President went on to say, will not only consist of rice fields but also other crops. In addition, the abundant irrigation water in the area can be used for cage fish farming, he added.

“With these methods, we hope that farmers’ income will increase. Not only from rice but also from oranges, shallots, coconut, fish, and ducks,” the President said.

“We will try this combination of business model beforehand and after we see good results, we will replicate it in other places,” he stated.

The President was also scheduled to hand over Productive Presidential Assistance for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) at the Handep Hapakat Public Meeting Building. During his way back, he was also scheduled to monitor the location of the cassava food estate in Gunung Mas Regency via air. (BPMI/FID/UN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Mia M. Bonaedy