REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SAMARINDA -- The Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, said he expected that the Kutai Kartanegara would turn out to be the highest paddy producing district in East Kalimantan province.

"The district has vast cultivable land and the Mahakam river flows by. Kutai Kartanegara has the potential to be developed as the biggest paddy producer," the minister stated here on Wednesday.

Currently, the ministry is paying much attention to the East Kalimantan province.

In order to improve rice production, Amran advised, the farmers should sow more crops.

"The paddy production should be increased and farmers should be obtaining two crops a year instead of one," the minister added.

The head administration of Kutai Kartanegara, Rita Widyasari, pointed out that the district has a land area of 27,263.10 square kilometres, and 23,312.18 hectares land is under paddy.

If the area under paddy increases to 37,569 hectares, it will produce 186,830 tons of dry unhulled rice.

"The paddy fields are yielding 51.13 quintals per hectare with a Planting Index of 1.6. Kutai Kartanegara contributes 45.70 percent of the crop to East Kalimantan," Rita explained.

The local government has been providing assistance to the farmers and fishermen in the form of capital and facilities.

In addition, Rita noted, the administration also establishing non-banking financial institutions in all sub districts to increase farmers? and fishermen?s access to capital.

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