REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDA ACEH -- The district administration of Aceh Besar said it will open 2,700 hectares of new hybrid corn fields to increase the country's production of that food commodity. Development of hybrid corn field would financed with funds from the state budget and regional budget. "The project is to support the National Program of Food Security of the Central Government," Aceh Besar Regent Mawardi Ali said on Thursday.

The project is also part of the effort to increase food production to guarantee supply which is growing with the growing population of the country, the regent said when inspecting a 500 hectare hybrid corn fields in Gampong Siron Blang, sub-district of Kuta Cot Glie.

Mawardi said prospective farmers and farm lands have been available mainly in four sub-districts - Kuta Cot Glie, Indrapuri, Lembah Seulawah and Seulimuem.

"Currently the Agriculture Ministry is offering assistance in seeds for tens of thousands of hectares of plantations. Hopefully when we are ready with farmers and farm lands, the target for corn fields would not be 2,700 hectares only but could reach up to 5,000 hectares in all Aceh Besar," he said.

He said the choice for hybrid corn is based on the fact that corn is still high in demand in the market and profitable.

"This is also to meet corn grain requirement, which is still imported mainly to feed animal feed industry," he said.

He said the Central Government through the Agriculture Ministry and the provincial administration of Aceh have launched a Program for Development of Hybrid Corn Plantation in Aceh Besar by providing production facilities in the form of seeds and fund.

"With the support , hopefully the program would be successfully carried out," he said.

Earlier, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the country was already self sufficient in corn supply.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika