Acting Mayor of Banjar, Dr. Hj. Ida Wahida Hidayati, S.E., S.H., M.Sc., attended the Food Security and Agricultural Productivity Coordination Meeting in West Java, located in the West Hall of Gedung Sate, Bandung City. Thursday (18/04/2024).

The Coordination Meeting was opened directly by the Acting Governor of West Java, attended by the Inspector General of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, Special Staff of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia for Agricultural Policy, Forkopimda of West Java Province, and attended by the Regional Secretary of West Java Province, the Regents/Mayors of all West Java, Police Chiefs throughout West Java, Dandim throughout West Java, Kajari throughout West Java, and Head of the Agriculture and Fisheries Food Security Service in West Java.

In the meeting, Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin conveyed the need to increase production of rain-fed rice fields to achieve the grain production target of more than 11 million tons this year. "There needs to be instruments to maintain water availability, including pumping. "However, pumping recipients must be clear and on target, so I ask the Regency/City Government to map the land and its location," he said.

Apart from that, according to Bey, coordination is needed with the TNI/Polri to maintain the pumping program. If necessary, each pumping device has a GPS embedded in it or uses digital monitoring. "Also maximize West Java warehouse and distribution center receipts as an instrument for controlling food stocks and prices," he stressed.

Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Komjen. Setio Budi said that the TNI and the ministry had worked together for the pumping program, including for the West Java region which received 2,500 points. A total of 201,702.6 hectares of rainfed rice fields and several irrigated rice fields will be the target of pumping according to priority, so he asked the West Java Provincial Government to immediately submit a map of the location and land of which farmers are entitled to receive pumping. "I hope there will be acceleration in West Java because until April 15 2024, of the total area of rainfed rice fields, only 5,630 hectares have started to accelerate planting, the number is still very small," explained Setio Budi.

Met after the activity, Pj. The Mayor said that Banjar City is a unique city, where the agricultural sector still has quite large areas of land and most of the population works as farmers. For this reason, the Acting Mayor emphasized that Banjar City is committed to continuing to improve the existing agricultural sector. "We are committed to supporting West Java's target of becoming one of the national food self-sufficient regions. "We work together with all stake holders to make it all happen," he said, after attending the Coordination Meeting.

(SOURCE)