Food estates in Central Sumba District, East Nusa Tenggara, have expedited planting and harvesting processes, the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) has stated.

The food estates have speeded up the planting process from two days to two hours, Central Sumba Agricultural Office’s Head of Infrastructure and Agricultural Facilities Ben Bitang said, according to a KSP press release received here on Thursday.

“We appreciate the government because, with the help of fertilizers, seeds, and agricultural machinery, planting and harvesting times are faster and cost-effective,” Bitang said when meeting with Deputy III of KSP, Panutan Sulendrakusuma.

A food estate, which is one of the national programs, will increase the resilience of the agricultural sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

“The agricultural sector grew 0.38 percent in 2021’s second quarter. From this data, the government noticed the crucial role of the agricultural sector in developing Indonesia’s economy, both during the pandemic and in the future,” Sulendrakusuma explained while visiting Malinjak and Makatakeri Villages in Central Sumba.

He said the benefits of food estates have been felt by farmers. However, there are still problems regarding access to water sources for irrigation and product marketing, he added. Product marketing problems can lower food prices, he explained.

This condition has been experienced by farmers in food estates in Katikutana and South Katikutana Sub-districts, he informed.

“KSP will coordinate with the relevant ministries, institutions, and stakeholders to find a solution regarding the marketing of farmers’ production,” he said.

Central Sumba District has been designated by the government as a food estate. The food estate covers about 10 thousand hectares comprising 5,400 hectares of rice fields and 4,600 hectares of dry agricultural land for growing corn crops and livestock.

In the area, food estate development has been executed in several sub-districts such as Katikutana and South Katikutana, he noted.

Land clearing in the two sub-districts began last year for growing rice and corn, he informed. With the food estates, farmers can harvest twice a year as the duration of planting and harvesting would be accelerated, he added.

Source: Antara News