Jakarta. Farmers participating in the government's inter-island migration program can earn around Rp 20 million per family per month,  Transmigration Minister Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanegara said on Thursday.

The transmigration program seeks to relocate farmers from densely populated areas or where farming lands are limited to other islands with untapped agricultural areas to tackle demographic and poverty problems. It was first implemented on a massive scale during the 32-year tenure of Soeharto's presidency. 

The current administration is reviving the program in part to boost agriculture productivity and achieve national self-sufficiency in food.

"We do not want farmers participating in the program to be seen as second-class citizens anymore. They are the backbone of the nation's development," Iftitah was quoted by Antara as saying.

The government promised to equip participants with modern agricultural tools and machinery and provide intensive farming training and management. Each family will receive a house and farming lands to work on.

"This is no longer just a concept, but it has been proven on the ground. With technology and agricultural machinery, young farmers from Aceh to Papua can make a net income of Rp 15 million to Rp 20 million per month," the minister said.

The transmigration program is conducted in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, which plans to create 500,000 hectares of new paddy fields in strategic areas  across Indonesia. The ministry has launched the "Food Brigade" program, in which every 200 hectares of land will be managed by 15 trained farmers equipped with modern tools to boost food crop output.

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has set an ambitious target for Indonesia's rice production, aiming to reach 32 million tons by 2025 and to stop rice imports starting next year.

The Agriculture Ministry is implementing various strategies, including food estate programs and modern farming practices, to achieve this target.

Add as a preferred source on Google +