West Sulawesi Needs Rp27 Billion For Agricultural Development

Mamuju, West Sulawesi, Jan 14 (ANTARA) - The government of West Sulawesi Province needs funds of some Rp27 billion for agricultural infrastructure development to increase production, according to a local official. West Sulawesi Agriculture Office spokesman Muhammad Abduh said here on Monday that these funds were needed to complete the construction of the agricultural facility and infrastructure in the province. "The farmers here need at least Rp27 billion in funds for the procurement of around 2,777 mini tractors to support the local government program for increasing the production of rice," Muhammad Abduh stated. Therefore, he expressed hope that the central government in 2013 would allocate the necessary funds to meet the demand for the agricultural facility and infrastructure in West Sulawesi. According to him, the farmers in the province currently have 2,023 mini tractors, but this is not enough for cultivating the farmland, which will expand to some 25 thousand hectares this year. "To expand the farmland to 25 thousand hectares in West Sulawesi, the lack of an agricultural facility and infrastructure must be handled so that we can optimally increase production," Abduh noted. He added that the farmers still need 2,777 more mini tractors that can be purchased with the Rp27 billion, because the province is set to make itself self-sufficient in rice by producing one million tonnes in 2014.