Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto ensured that food estate areas or food barns were developed in a number of areas to strengthen national food security. Airlangga revealed in a meeting with President Jokowi that the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) is working on building a water channel and land processing for a food estate in Central Kalimantan. So that the Ministry of Agriculture can use the land that has been prepared. "The progress of the food estate in Central Kalimantan which is being developed by the Ministry of Agriculture is around 60,000 hectares, of which 30,000 hectares in 2020, 14,000 hectares in 2021, and 16,000 hectares of extensification," said Airlangga in a written statement, Wednesday (5/10).
Furthermore, related to the development of food estates in North Sumatra, the realization of 7 hectares of the target set was 22 hectares which will be further developed by the Humbahas Regent as the person in charge, with intervention from the Ministry of Agriculture. The food estate in Belu Regency, East Nusa Tenggara covering an area of 559 hectares will be developed with commodities in the form of corn, as well as the food area in East Sumba Regency of 1,000 hectares being developed for sorghum. Furthermore, for a food estate in Central Sumba Regency of 10,000 hectares, development is also carried out with government support through the availability of water and fertilizer. "Then for food estates in Papua it is pushed towards Merauke and Keerom, if in Merauke it is close to 1 million hectares and in Keerom it reaches 3,000 hectares," said Airlangga. Airlangga said President Joko Widodo had also given directions regarding the regulation of the Strategic Logistics Reserve Agency to be integrated with the Presidential Regulation regarding increasing national food supply through the development of food estate areas. The Strategic Logistics Reserve Agency will later be led by the Minister of Defense.
