Ministry of Agriculture-Bulog Accompanying Lombok's Producers of Paddy Production7.5 Ton

INDUSTRY.co.id - Central Lombok - The Ministry of Agriculture together with the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) provides assistance to farmers on Lombok Island in order to increase rice productivity from an average of five tons to 7.5 tons per hectare.

"All this time, the assistance has been running, but the productivity is still low at 4-5 tons per hectare, we want 7-7,5 tons / ha," said Director General of Food Crops, Sumardjo Gatot Irianto, after the harvest on farm Mandiri farmers Regional Division NTB Gapoktan Bismillah built Kementan, in Gerunung Village, Central Lombok, Saturday (8/28/2018)

To get assistance, he said, farmers must be willing to sell some of their products to Bulog. Therefore, the rice will return to the community in the form of prosperous rice (rastra) which is provided free of charge to the less fortunate.

"There should be a written agreement, and we ask for a contract on the seal, if necessary thumbs up blood," Gatot said to farmers at the harvest site.

During this time, according to him, most farmers sell their products to big businessmen. But Bulog can still get goods from farmers.

Nevertheless, it wants Bulog to get more supply from farmers with better quality.

"A farmer asked for yellow rice to be tolerated and we cannot say that Bulog is hanged, but we give solution to help dryers," said Gatot, who promised a paddy dryer to one of Bulog's partners.

Meanwhile, Director of Procurement of Bulog Bachtiar, acknowledged the purchase of grain / rice from farmers who received government assistance has been done for a long time. However, it needs to be further improved so that the volume of absorption, especially for government rice reserves more.

"The farmers who are given the aid must sell some of their products to Bulog, we do not need to ask for much, from the 20 percent crops sold to Bulog," he said.

He mentioned the target of government rice reserves of 4 million tons in 2018. But that has been achieved as much as 1.5 million tons in the first half.

To that end, Bachtiar expects procurement targets can be realized through efforts to increase rice productivity from an average of 5 tons to 7.5 tons / ha through intensification of land in all production center, including on the island of Lombok.

"The procurement process continues, starting from July, August to September, our expectation is still harvest," Bachtiar said while asserting that the rice stock in Bulog is sufficient for the next five months. (Ant)