Indonesia has not imported any rice in 2021 and the nation’s current rice stocks are also adequate to meet domestic demand, President Joko Widodo (popularly known as Jokowi) has said.

He made the statement after participating in a rice plantation activity with several farmers in Trenggalek District, East Java Province, which was broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Tuesday.

Local farmers’ productivity increased this year thanks to the completion of a number of dams started in the previous years, which provided irrigation water for agricultural lands across Indonesia, he said.

“Farmers’ better productivity has increased total rice production throughout Indonesia,” he added.

In 2015-2020, the government built 18 dams: Rajui and Payaseunara in Aceh; Logung and Gondang in Central Java; Bajulmati, Nipah, and Tukul in East Java; Raknamo, Rotiklot, and Napun Gete in East Nusa Tenggara; as well as Tanju and Mila in West Nusa Tenggara, he noted.

In addition, it built Sei Gong (Riau Islands), Sindang Heula (Banten), Jatigede (West Java), Titab (Bali), as well as Teritip (East Kalimantan) dams, he said.

Before planting rice, Jokowi inaugurated two dams — Tugu Dam in Trenggalek District and Gongseng Dam in Bojonegoro District, East Java Province.

He expressed the hope that the operation of Tugu Dam would help farmers harvest rice and grow secondary crops more frequently, thereby significantly increasing the productivity of agricultural land in Trenggalek District.

“The overall rice production in East Java province is 5.7 million tons. It is able to fulfill local needs and also supply the demand from other provinces,” he added.

During his visit, the President was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and a number of other officials.

Source: Antara News