REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG PARIAMAN -- Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman announced a simultaneous rice planting movement in Padangpariamang District, West Sumatra, on Tuesday.
On the occasion, the minister also announced the country's rice production target at 78 million tons for 2016.
"Thank God, today all the farmers across Indonesia are taking part in the simultaneous rice planting movement in an effort to achieve self-sufficiency in food production in 2017," the minister stated here on Tuesday.
He noted that since the launch of the food self-sufficiency program in 2014, the average national production per annum had increased by 5.28 percent.
"On an average, 14.8 million hectares of agricultural land is used for rice cultivation, with two harvest seasons a year. We are optimistic that the target of 78 million tons in 2016 would be achieved, or even exceeded," he remarked.
The minister pointed out that the central government had always provided fertilizers and agricultural tools, such as hand tractors to farmers, so that they are able to boost production. Thus, the target to achieve food self-sufficiency would be achieved in 2017.
"We not only provide fertilizers and modern agricultural devices, such as hand tractors but also assist the local governments to build tertiary irrigation facilities to meet the water requirements for the cultivation of rice," he added.
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