Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has the ambition to achieve food self-sufficiency by building modern agricultural clusters in various strategic areas, including Central Kalimantan.
This area is considered to have great potential to become the main pillar in realizing Indonesia’s food independence within the next three years.
“If we can cultivate 500,000 hectares of land in Central Kalimantan and produce a minimum of two harvests with a productivity of 5 tons per hectare, then the food deficit problem can be overcome,” said Minister of Agriculture Amran when inspecting the rice field printing location in Kapuas Regency, Friday (27/9) .
This visit also became a momentum for the release of students from the Independent Campus Learning Program (MBKM) for Food Sovereignty.
The Minister of Agriculture explained that the concept of modern agriculture relies on technology and mechanization.
Starting from production facilities to the harvest process will be integrated with the latest technology, where the younger generation becomes operators of technology such as drones and remote control devices.
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“We use drones for seeding and tilling the land, harvesting is done by machines, and the entire production process to packaging is technology-based,” added Minister of Agriculture Amran.
He also shared his experiences from a visit to the United States.
In this country, modern agriculture is managed by one family on land of 300 to 1,000 hectares.
Also read: Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman is optimistic that Merauke will become a national food barn
The Minister of Agriculture is optimistic that young Indonesian people will be able to do the same thing if they have a strong spirit.
“If we move together, Indonesia has the potential to become a super power country in the agricultural sector. I see in America, one family can manage up to 1,000 hectares of land,” he stressed.
The implementation of modern agriculture has begun in various regions of Indonesia, including Merauke Regency, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, as well as several areas on the island of Java.
Also read: Minister of Agriculture is optimistic that Merauke will become a food basket for Eastern Indonesia
The Minister of Agriculture stated that these areas would become national food baskets and play an important role in reducing food imports.
“These areas will become national food reserves and help cover the deficit, as well as being our strategy to reduce imports,” he said.
To the students present, Minister of Agriculture Amran advised them to become agents of change with a steely mentality.
They are encouraged to get out of their comfort zone in order to achieve success.
“You must have a mental steel to be successful and not face difficulties in the future. Stay here (Central Kalimantan) for six months, don’t go home before you succeed. Avoid the comfort zone, because it will not lead you to success,” he advised.
Assistant for Economics and Development at the Regional Secretariat of Central Kalimantan Province, Sri Widanari, also expressed his appreciation for the Minister of Agriculture’s support in developing modern agriculture in the region.
He hopes that the presence of students and their entourage will have a positive impact on the agricultural sector in Central Kalimantan, which is part of the food estate area.
“We welcome the presence of students and their groups to develop the agricultural sector in this region. Hopefully this will be a breath of fresh air in supporting increased food production,” concluded Sri.
With these steps, the Ministry of Agriculture is optimistic that Indonesia will be able to achieve food self-sufficiency and become a more independent country in meeting its food needs. (RO/10)
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