REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government has increased the budget to improve the production of spices in Indonesia, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman stated.
"Indonesia has good potential to develop spice plantations, as it has been famous for spices since 500 years," Sulaiman noted here on last Monday.
According to the minister, the government has allocated Rp2.4 trillion of the state budget to develop the agriculture sector, including to encourage the cultivation of spices.
He added that several people from European countries had visited Indonesia in the 19th century in search of spices grown in Asia.
The ministry will distribute the seeds of spices, including garlic, nutmeg, cloves, cocoa, and pepper, to the local farmers.
"We will distribute the seeds based on the potential of each region," Sulaiman added.
He expressed hope that the budget would be increased to Rp5.5 trillion in 2018.