REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian government has allocated some Rp2 trillion to improve irrigation networks in the country as part of its efforts to achieve self-reliance in food production, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said.

"Last year, nearly 52 percent of irrigation networks in Indonesia were damaged, with the area of irrigated farmland covering 3.3 million hectares," he said after a dialog with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Friday (9/1).

In the first phase of the 2015 irrigation network construction project, the government is set to build networks that can irrigate one million hectares of rice fields across 17 provinces, including East Java, Central Java, West Java, Banten, Lampung, and South Sulawesi, he added.

In addition to improving irrigation networks, the ministry has also provided assistance to ensure smooth distribution of fertilizers and seeds and to procure agricultural tools and machines, he noted.

"We know that over the past 10 years, nearly 20 million people have abandoned the agricultural sector. Therefore, we will procure agricultural tools and machines in exchange of lost labor force in agriculture," he pointed out.

Quoting the result of his observation in 50 districts across 15 provinces in the past couple of months, he remarked that Indonesia has lost a chance to produce 20 million tons of dry unhusked rice per year due to damaged irrigation networks, a low absorption of seeds, late distribution of fertilizers and a lack of field agriculture officers.

However, he expressed optimism that the country will achieve self-reliance in rice, corn, and soybean production in the next three years.

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