PALMOILMAGAZINE, BANJARBARU – The Governor of South Kalimantan, Sahbirin Noor, and the Ministry of Agriculture, under the General Directorate of Plantation, have taken swift action to implement the directive issued by the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman.
They have joined forces to ensure food security stability by promoting the cultivation of food and plantation crops, particularly palm oil, through the Kesatria Program, which integrates palm oil with food crops such as paddy gogo.
The inaugural planting of the Kesatria Program took place in the Tanah Laut Regency on Friday, March 8, 2024. In his address, Sahbirin Noor called for collaboration from agency heads at all levels, from the provincial to the regency/city levels, to ensure the success of the program. The objective is to increase food crop production, specifically paddy gogo and corn, among palm oil trees, despite the surplus of rice supply in the province.
Also Read: Ministry of Agriculture Optimize Corn Production through the Kesatria Program
“As the gate of logistic in Kalimantan, food production including paddy should always be increased, not only for South Kalimantan but also for other regions in Indonesia,” he said, as Palmoilmagazine.com quoted from the official page of South Kalimantan Province, Sunday (10/3/2024).
He hoped the implementation of Kesatria program in the province would also be having the same success in SISKA KU INTIP program – as the innovative program of the province to realize cow self-sufficiency.
The first planting of Kesatria was in smallholders replanting program (SRP) of Kelompok Tani Bumi Tani in Village of Tanjung, Sub district of Bajuin, Regency of Tanah Laut. Director of Palm Oil Seed Group and Various Palm; official from General Directorate of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture, Ratna Rubandia and the team also attended.
Regent in duty of Tanah Laut, Syamsir Rahman also supported and thanked General Directorate of Plantation, General Directorate of Food Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Governor of South Kalimantan for having the regency as the location to develop Kesatria program. That was the first thing in the province or even in Kalimantan Island.
Also Read: Growing rice as an intercrop in oil palm estates to secure food security
Head of Plantation and Livestock Agency, South Kalimantan, Suparmi told that planting paddy gogo in palm oil plantations would be one strategy of the (regional) government to escalate rice production to fulfill the needs of the people of Indonesia. the program would be in yet productive plantations or when having replanting program that the fund was from Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA).
“The goal would be about to escalate palm oil production and productivity, develop human resources to realize sustainable palm oil development in South Kalimantan,” Suparmi said.
He continued Kesatria program is the collaboration among General Directorate of Plantation, General Directorate of Food Plant, South Kalimantan Province, Regency of Tanah Laut and other related stakeholders. “It is hoped the program would escalate planters’ economy, production, and reinforce paddy production in national level through SRP acceleration,” he said.
It showed the same commitment between central and regional government to face food security challenge. Food and plantation plant – integration program would deliver hopes to reinforce food security in the region and positively contribute to realize food self-sufficiency in national scale. (T2)
