HUMBAHAS, CILACAP.INFO – Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo accompanied Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to directly observe development of planting and new food storage areas in Humbang Hasundutan Regency (Humbahas). This horticulture-based food estate land is targeted to finish planting. in January next year.
“The processing of this food estate land is almost 90 percent more, processing up to building beds is up to 70 percent. This December, God willing, installation of mulch and planting will be 100 percent complete, it will not take long to move more people and of course in accordance with The existing target is January, God willing, planting has been completed,” said Minister of Agriculture Syahrul when being interviewed after visiting location of food estate in Ria-Ria Village, Pollung District, Humbahas Regency, Friday (18/12/20).
Minister of Agriculture Syahrul said food storage area of Humbahas Regency is development of agricultural land based on horticulture as main commodity. There are 3 commodities that will be developed in Humbahas food estate area, including potatoes, shallots and garlic.
“We are just waiting for how to cultivate and guard so that we can harvest within planned time,” said Minister of Agriculture.
On same occasion, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that progress of working on food estate land is very significant. In next four years, North Sumatra food estate land will be expanded to 30,000 hectares and horticultural planting will be developed.
In 2020, target to develop Humbahas food estate area of 1,000 hectares (ha) consists of an area of 215 ha from State Budget of Ministry of Agriculture (Ministry of Agriculture) while area of 785 ha is managed by private sector.
“This is first time in Indonesia that there are 215 hectares planted with potatoes, garlic and onions. From data that has been reported by Head of Balitbang, Ministry of Agriculture, results are very good,”.
Coordinating Minister Luhut said food estate development area would be a model for other regions so that in future shortcomings found in process of cultivating, cultivating, harvesting and post-harvesting will be improvements in other areas.
“So if this goes on, Pak Syahrul Limpo plan is only 215 hectares, there will be 1000 hectares, a total of 30,000 hectares, so this is current model. I think we learn from shortcomings here to fix them later in other places,” said Luhut.
Coordinating Minister Luhut also revealed that currently government is looking at other highlands where a food estate area can be developed. For example, on island of Sulawesi or Java, to be able to develop agriculture and improve welfare of surrounding population.
“In Sulawesi there is also an altitude of 1000-1200 land like this. We will build it again or later in Java, maybe 500 or 1000 hectares like this, we will make a model like this again, so that our horticultural self-sufficiency can also be finished in next 5 years,” said Luhut. .
In addition, Luhut emphasized that food estate area does not disturb forest environment. Commodities are planted on land that is not planted with trees, so that forest is well preserved. To keep land from landslide, it will also be planted with macadamia nuts, coffee and other perennials.
“The forests will not be cut into lands where there are no trees, bushes, which we will make land. So environment will be maintained,”
Here there are potatoes, garlic and forest will remain. The head of Balitbang also planted macadamia trees, coffee, and tree crops so that even though slope is 15 degrees, we can protect it so that there are no landslides,” he concluded.
