VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 5 - Some 30 thousand hectares of land in Riau have been allocated for food estate development, the province's Governor, Syamsuar, stated.

"The Riau provincial government has filed an application with the agriculture minister and allotted 30 thousand hectares of land in the hopes of being able to develop a new food estate," Syamsuar noted in a written statement released on Thursday.

The agriculture minister has tasked the director general and the research and development center chief with observing the land for the development of food estate, he remarked.

The director general and the research and development center chief will later follow up on the proposal and hold discussions on it with appointed officials, so that it is realized soon, he confirmed.

"The Riau provincial government will prepare the location (for the food estate) and farmers. We hope the staff of the Agriculture Ministry would soon conduct a field survey to determine the area of land to be built into a food estate," he noted.

“The food crops to be planted on the food estate, include rice, corn, and other various plants, having economic value," he revealed.

Syamsuar stated that the government’s assistance, in the form of equipment and machines, are direly needed by farmers to support the food estate.

The central government is currently developing food estates in North Sumatra Province, Central Kalimantan Province, and East Nusa Tenggara Province, in a bid to achieve nationwide self-reliance in food. (Antaranews)