COORDINATING MINISTRY FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

PRESS RELEASE
HM.4.6/64/SET.M.EKON.3/2/2022

A Touch of Technology in Upland Rice Cultivation Becomes a Solution so that Dry Land in Indonesia Becomes Productive

West Tulang Bawang, February 12th, 2022

The government continues to paying attention to national food security, since the food sector has a vital role in the life of a nation. The government's seriousness in paying attention to food security has proven that the agricultural sector is still capable resilience during the pandemic. The agricultural sector also plays a major role in supporting national food security, the agricultural sector also managed to grow positively by 2.08% (yoy) in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In the 2022-2024 National Development Agenda, the government is also prioritizing programs to increase availability, access, and the quality of food consumption. As a form of effort to increase the availability of food consumption, the government encourages optimization of upland rice cultivation in various regions. Upland rice was chosen because it is a type of rice that can be planted in dry land areas or commonly referred to as dry rice. Upland rice cultivation is also a solution in the use of former plantation land and can be applied in areas with low rainfall.

Various provinces in Indonesia have cultivated upland rice, one of which is Lampung Province. As a province that is ranked as the fifth national rice producer, the upland rice cultivation encourages an increase in the amount of rice production and food availability in the region.

During a series of working visits to Lampung Province, Saturday (12/2), Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto witnessed the first harvest of upland rice at the Upland Rice Research Project owned by PT Huma Indah Mekar (HIM) in West Tulang Bawang Regency, Lampung Province. This inaugural upland rice harvest was able to produce as much as 5.3 tons per hectare with an area of ​​84 hectares.

"We appreciate the first harvest of upland rice, which of course uses a touch of technology and trials. This upland rice is expected to continue to provide positive results and can be encouraged, especially in barns where water is limited," said Coordinating Minister Airlangga.

Based on the release of data from the Central Statistics Agency, Lampung Province's rice production in 2021 was recorded at 2,472,587 tons of Milled Dry Grain (MDG) and had a share of 4.47% of the national production which reached 55,269,619 tons of MDG with a productivity of 50.40 kw/ha. Specifically for West Tulang Bawang Regency, rice production in 2020 will reach 30 thousand tons of MDG.

On the occasion, Coordinating Minister Airlangga encouraged the Regional Government and all levels of society to develop agriculture from upstream to downstream that was more competitive with high productivity. In addition, by using superior seeds and applying agricultural mechanization so that they are able to be self-sufficient in food and contribute positively to the national economy.

"In fact, Indonesia has never imported rice in the last 3 years, so in fact we have been self-sufficient in rice for the last 3 years. And even now that our rice is relatively safe, we will enter the harvest season which can get 14 to 15 million tons. We have also received requests from other countries to import rice from Indonesia," said Coordinating Minister Airlangga.

Notable attendees at the event, including the Governor of Lampung, Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mr. Aburizal Bakrie, Deputy for Food and Agribusiness Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Chairman of the DPRD of West Tulang Bawang Regency, Regent of West Tulang Bawang, and members of the Forkopimda of West Tulang Bawang Regency. (ltg/dlt/map/fsr)

***

Head of Communications, Information Services, and Meetings Bureau
Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs
Haryo Limanseto

Website: www.ekon.go.id
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube: @PerekonomianRI
Email: humas@ekon.go.id
LinkedIn: Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia