Illustrative image (Source: internet) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has collaborated with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to launch a programme to support farmers in West Kalimantan to adopt organic methods for rice production.
The programme is part of the Indonesian Government’s plan to establish 1,000 organic villages.
The organic village model is one of the national development priorities, which is focused on promoting the economic independence of key domestic sectors.
According to Gatut Sumbogodjati, Director of Processing and Marketing of Food Crops under the MoA, organic produce is becoming an alternative food option for Indonesian people, though it is not yet consumed on a large scale.
The programme will be run over two years in rice-growing villages in West Kalimantan, where selected farmer groups will adopt new farming methods, he said.
Stephen Rudgard, FAO representative in Indonesia, said that the organisation supports the shift to organic production agriculture for the health of the ecosystem.
This system will help reduce potentially harmful environmental and social impacts by eliminating the use of inputs such as synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, or genetically modified varieties.
The programme is prioritised in the border area, which has great potential to access to export markets like Malaysia.
It is also part of the Indonesian Government’s efforts to increase incomes in border communities. –VNA
VNA
