Government prepares 280 million cocoa, coconut seedlings for farmers
The program covers 870,000 hectares of plantations and is aimed at creating 3 million permanent jobs within three years.
The government is preparing about 280 million cocoa and coconut seedlings to strengthen national plantations and raise farmers' welfare. Agriculture Minister and National Food Agency head Andi Amran Sulaiman said the program is part of the development of about 870,000 hectares of plantation land in various regions, covering cocoa, coconut, sugarcane, nutmeg and cashew. In Sulawesi Tenggara, the government is preparing about 38 million seedlings. Assistance for farmers will be provided free of charge, from improved seedlings and land preparation to planting. The government is also linking the program with downstream processing so plantation output becomes raw material for domestic industry. Amran said the plantation expansion and downstream processing could create at least 3 million permanent jobs within three years.