Indonesia-China Ambition to Make Central Kalimantan a Food Storage

The rice field development project in Central Kalimantan in collaboration with China will start in October 2024.

JURNASYANTO SUKARNO GREENPEACE

An environmental activist pulls up a large banner that reads "Food Estate Feeding Climate Crisis" in the cassava food estate area in Tewai Baru Village, Gunung Mas Regency, Central Kalimantan, Thursday (10/11/2022).

PALANGKARAYA, KOMPAS — The rice development project in Central Kalimantan will continue after the government started a new collaboration with China. However, a number of parties are worried that this will only add to the series of discordant stories from wishful thinking food barns in Central Kalimantan.

The government's plan was expressed by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on the sidelines of the 4th High Level Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism (HDCM) RI–PRC Meeting in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Friday (19/4/2024), as quoted from Kompas.com.

Luhut said he had asked China to provide rice growing technology to Indonesia. China is called a country that is successful in being self-sufficient in food.

In fact, more than just a plan, that desire has become an agreement. The project, according to the plan, will start in October 2024.

Also read: Revaluation and Reactualization of ”Food Estate”

Upon hearing the plan, Herianto (48), a farmer from Belanti Siam Village, Pulang Pisau District, Central Kalimantan, grimaced. According to him, when it comes to agriculture, Indonesia is not inferior to other countries.

However, he regrets that there are still many other problems facing farmers. He said subsidized fertilizer was difficult for farmers to obtain.

"I hope that if there is a project like that, it can make farmers' lives better," said Herianto.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Rangkap (53), a resident of Tewai Baru, Gunung Mas Regency, Central Kalimantan, walks in the middle of a cassava plantation managed by the government under the national strategic program food estate, Tuesday (8/8/2023).

Arriving as a transmigrant in 1984, Herianto witnessed the downfall of the one million-hectare peatland project 27 years ago. In 1997, Herianto remembers how the forest was cleared to make way for rice fields. As a result, the peat forest was damaged and became the source of forest and land fires.

The village where Herianto lives is only one of dozens of villages included in the 1 million hectare area. In the same area, the government also created a rice field printing program in 2016-2018, then a food barn program or food estate in 2020. Herianto is one of the participants food estate program

The programs are currently assessed as unable to make Indonesia food sovereign or unable to improve food resilience. This was expressed by the Director of Save Our Borneo (SOB), Muhammad Habibi.

Also read: Some Food Estate Farmers in Central Kalimantan Failed to Harvest

According to the environmental activist, reflecting on previous similar programs, the people of Central Kalimantan only experienced disaster. He is worried that the collaboration with China for rice technology will continue to use land that is also used by food estates, rice paddy fields or the one million peat program.

Although Kalteng is currently the largest province in Indonesia, according to Habibi, it is not easy to find suitable land for rice and the technology used, especially with the paddy field system. Farmers in Belanti Siam or other transmigrant villages alone require a minimum of 11 years to achieve the results that are enjoyed now.

"Instead of such cooperation, the large budget could be used to develop agricultural land that has been managed by the community for some time. Why focus only on rice fields and rice?" said Habibi.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Cassava resulting from the national strategic program food estate in Gunung Mas Regency, Central Kalimantan, Tuesday (8/8/2023). Many cassava plants grow unhealthy.

Unlike Habibi, a senator from Kalteng, Agustin Teras Narang, actually welcomed the plan. He hopes that the cooperation can be realized soon.

"If it can be realized in a planned manner, it needs to involve experts, as well as local communities or farmers," said Teras.

With various histories behind similar projects, Teras expressed his longing for Central Kalimantan to become a food and energy barn. That is why, during his tenure as Governor of Central Kalimantan from 2005-2015, he issued Regional Regulation Number 15 of 2015 concerning the Spatial Planning and Region of Central Kalimantan Province. It includes the goal of the region to become a food barn.

"Despite the various failures in the effort to develop the agricultural sector through the food barn model in Central Kalimantan since the era of President Soeharto, I am always enthusiastic when there is an intention for development that can be done," said Teras.

In response to this, the Deputy Governor of Central Kalimantan, Edy Pratowo, revealed that they will quickly act to prepare Central Kalimantan as a national food barn and welcome the cooperation. Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture had provided a program for optimizing wetland and irrigation in 10 districts in Central Kalimantan, covering a total of 81,000 hectares.

"We welcome the plan for that collaboration, and the governor has also requested its preparation. All parties must work together well," said Edy.