East Kalimantan Rice Production is Projected to Rise by 0.17 Prersen

INDUSTRY.co.id - Samarinda - Production of paddy in East Kalimantan Province in 2018 is projected to increase only 0.17 percent compared to 2017 or from 400.102 tons of dry milled grain (GKG) to 400,778 tons of GKG.

"Based on continuous intensification and extensification efforts, we are optimistic that there will be 676 tons of GKG production increase or 0.17 percent increase," said Head of Food, Horticultural and Horticultural Agency of East Kalimantan Province Ibrahim in Samarinda on Monday (2/7 / 2018)

Rice production in East Kalimantan in 2016 is 305,337 tons of GKG, then in 2017 increased 31.04 percent to 400,102 tons or an increase of 94,765 tons of GKG.

He admitted that the most crucial problem in East Kalimantan in an effort to encourage people to cultivate rice crops is to guarantee uncertain water supply, whereas water adequacy is the most important thing in increasing rice production.

"Until now, farmers continue to be faced with the classic problem, that is still the difficulty of water because they rely on rain-fed rice fields, while rainfall is low or not rain, while in the rainy season there are rice fields that are flooded," he said as quoted by Antara.

Farmers are looking forward to technical irrigation, but to convert natural irrigation into technical required big fund. On the other hand, the condition of East Kalimantan budget is still limited.

Some of the dam constructed by the government has not been completed yet, so it has not been able to answer the farmers' difficulties to the water needs in order to increase the harvest.

A number of dams that are still not completed such as Marangkayu Dam in Marangkayu Sub-district, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, then dam in Muara Telake, Paser Regency.

Kaltim has many rivers whose water has not been maximally managed for agriculture. River water that is used for agriculture is still small compared to Java, so this condition also needs to get its own attention.

Regarding efforts to increase the area of ​​rice harvest, he targets that in 2018 its harvested area could increase to 3.07 percent, or it will rise to 97,293 hectares (ha) rather than 2017.

"The harvested area in 2017 has also increased compared to 2016. In 2016, the harvested area is 80,343 ha, and then in 2017 it will increase to 94,393 ha, which means an increase of 17.49 percent, or an increase of 14,050 ha," said Ibrahim.