President Prabowo Subianto went to Merauke, South Papua Province on his first tour of the country on Sunday, November 3, 2024 to directly oversee the development of sustainable agriculture programs in Wanam Village, Merauke regency.
During this visit, the president saw the preparation of a rice cultivation plot to increase food productivity in eastern Indonesia.
Upon arrival, Prabowo immediately headed to the location used to practice the latest rice cultivation techniques. There, the Head of State witnessed how farmers carefully prepared the land to be optimum for the next planting season.
This rice demonstration plot is expected to be an example for local farmers, with agricultural techniques that can increase yields and rice quality.
In addition, President Prabowo also witnessed firsthand the process of land processing and spreading dolomite, an important step to increase soil fertility. Farmers were seen spreading dolomite on the land, a natural material that is useful for neutralizing soil acidity, improving soil structure, and increasing the availability of nutrients.
Head of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Food Security Task Force, Major General Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, separately said that the rice field program carried out in Wanam and its surroundings is part of a large-scale agricultural land development plan in Merauke.
According to him, there are around 100 thousand hectares of agricultural land that will be prepared, starting from Wanam to Muting, with a total target of 1 million hectares.
“What we have in Wanam is a rice field program. There is also a plan to prepare another 100 thousand hectares. Later, what we will have around 1 million hectares from Wanam to Muting,” Ahmad Rizal said.
To support the program, the government will also build a number of supporting infrastructure in the form of a pier in Wanam and a 135-kilometer road from Wanam to Muting. This infrastructure will provide access for farmers to transport agricultural equipment and crops.
With flat and swampy land conditions, Merauke has abundant water availability which is greatly needed by farmers. In addition, the land in this area is generally fertile with a layer of black soil reaching 15-30 cm, so it greatly supports the program to achieve food self-sufficiency from Merauke.
“In our opinion, this is very supportive and the program to achieve food self-sufficiency will be achieved from Merauke,” Ahmad Rizal cited.
Accompanying the President in the visit were Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Head of the State Intelloigence Agency (BIN) Muhammad Herindra, Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief General Agus Subiyanto, and Acting Governor of South Papua Rudy Sufahriadi.
