Government Turns 128000 Hectares of Swamp Land into Rice Field

Sumatra – The government is optimizing 128,000 hectares of swamp land in South Sumatra Province to support national production in the face of El Nino. This was conveyed by Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman. 

With this, it will increase the cropping index from one time to two to three times a year. 

"The potential harvest from a portion of the existing land area in South Sumatra could reach 1 million tons of unhulled rice or if converted into rice it could reach 500,000 tons," Minister Sulaiman explained in a statement on Tuesday. 

"That's just one province, we plan to work in 10 provinces across Indonesia,"

According to the Minister, currently, the total potential in South Sumatra reaches 500,000 hectares with an average production index of only 1.1. 

"This means that if the IP can be increased to two harvests, then the existing production can reach 3 million tons," the Minister remarked. 

"Let's say we cultivate 400 thousand hectares. That can produce 2 million tons of grain and produce 1 million tons of rice." 

Furthermore, Minister Sulaiman revealed that South Sumatra is one of the most fertile provinces and has the largest swamp land in Indonesia. 

Therefore, this swamp land will be optimized by the government by using advanced equipment such as superior seeds, fertilizers, and various mechanization technologies, the Minister continued. 

Minister Sulaiman also mentioned: "In South Sumatra, 68,000 hectares have been cultivated. The production is quite large, above the national average of only 5.4 tons per hectare. Therefore, we must be optimistic that Indonesia can be self-sufficient in food."

Meanwhile, Assistant II for Economy, Finance, and Development of the Regional Secretariat of South Sumatra, Basyaruddin Akhmad, said that South Sumatra's rice production based on provisional figures released by BPS reached 1,586,127 tons. 

From the total rice production, South Sumatra still contributed a surplus of 739,554 tons from the total rice consumption of South Sumatra residents which was only 846,572 tons.

"BPS data also shows an increase in rice production from January to September 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 by 27,414 tons," Akhmad explained.