Dukung Moril Petani Sinabung, Mentan Panen Jagung di Kabupaten Karo
Indonesian Agriculture Minister Conduct Corn Harvest in North Sumatera`s Karo
Reporter : Gusmiati Waris
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
Kabanjahe, Sumatera Utara (B2B) - Menteri Pertanian RI Andi Amran Sulaiman terus mendorong peningkatan produksi jagung, dengan melakukan panen jagung di kaki Gunung Sinabung, Kabupaten Karo, Provinsi Sumatera Utara pada Selasa siang (22/12) dan hingga saat ini hasil panen jagung Kabupaten Karo mencapai 528.000 ton dari lahan seluas 76.000 hektar.
Setibanya di lokasi panen di Desa Tigabinanga pada pukul 12:15 WIB, Mentan Amran Sulaiman langsung masuk ke ladang jagung dan bersiap memanen jagung didampingi Direktur Jenderal Tanaman Pangan Kementan, Hasil Sembiring; dan Pelaksana Tugas (Plt) Kepala Dinas Pertanian Kabupaten Karo, Munarta Ginting.
Mentan tampak tidak jeri pada erupsi Gunung Sinabung yang masih kerap terjadi, dan hal itu merupakan upayanya untuk memberi dukungan moril kepada para petani di kaki Gunung Sinabung untuk terus bercocok tanam, dan meningkatkan produksi pertanian dari kabupaten yang dikenal sebagai paling subur di Sumatera Utara.
Menurut Mentan, harga jagung saat ini tergolong tinggi setelah pemerintah melalui Kementerian Pertanian RI berupaya mengendalikan impor, dan ternyata upaya tersebut berhasil menjaga harga jagung tetap menguntungkan para petani jagung.
"Inilah maksud kami mengendalikan impor, dan bukan menahan impor, supaya jagung hasil panen dapat dijual para petani jagung dengan harga yang wajar sehingga mereka tetap giat menanam," kata Amran Sulaiman.
Munarta Ginting menambahkan, produksi jagung di Kabupaten Karo hingga saat ini mencapai 528.000 dari lahan seluas 76.000 hektar hingga akhir November 2015, sementara luas tanam jagung mencapai 79.000 hektar di seluruh kabupaten setelah berhasil menambah luasan lahan tanam hingga 10.400 hektar.
Setelah panen jagung, Mentan melanjutkan kunjungan kerjanya di Sumatera Utara untuk mengunjungi para petani Karo yang lahannya terdampak erupsi Sinabung meskipun kegiatan tersebut tergolong kegiatan di luar agenda kunjungan.
Kabanjahe, Indonesia (B2B) - Indonesian Agriculture Minister, Andi Amran Sulaiman continue to encourage increased corn production to harvest corn on the slopes of Mount Sinabung, North Sumatera´s Karo District on Tuesday afternoon (22/12) and until now the production of corn in the district reached 528,000 tons in 76,000 hectares of land.
Upon arrived at location of corn harvest in Tigabinanga village at 12:15 pm, Minister Sulaiman straight into the cornfields and conduct corn harvest was accompanied by Director General of Food Crops, Hasil Sembiring; and Caretaker of Head of Agriculture Office of Karo District, Munarta Ginting.
Minister Sulaiman did not seem worried at the eruption of Mount Sinabung, which still frequently occur and it gives moral support to local farmers to continue farming, and increasing the agricultural production of the district known as fertile agricultural land across the province.
According to him, the price of corn is now quite high after the government through the Ministry of Agriculture seeks to control the imports, and it turns out these efforts succeeded in maintaining the price of corn remained profitable farmers.
"It is our intention to control the import, and not restrain imports, so that the price of corn remained profitable for farmers so that they keep the spirit to growing corn," he said.
Munarta Ginting added, in Karo corn production until now reached 528,000 on 76,000 hectares of land until the end of November, while the corn planting area reached 79,000 hectares in all districts after successfully adding planting area to 10,400 hectares.
After the corn harvest, Minister Sulaiman continues his working visit in the province of North Sumatra to visit the Karo farmers whose lands are affected by the eruption of Sinabung, although such activities are not scheduled on the agenda of his visit.
