PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - West Java Regional Secretary Herman Suryatman is targeting data collection on the number of potential recipient farmers and prospective locations (CPCL) for the pumping program to be completed within a week.

When the data collection is complete, the Provincial Government will immediately hand it over to the Ministry of Agriculture so that 5,000 pumps to irrigate 50,000 hectares of rice fields in West Java can be immediately executed.

"So on April 25 2024 we are targeting the CPCL data collection to be completed and we will send it to the Ministry of Agriculture so that West Java can execute the pumping program for 50,000 hectares or 5,000 pumps," said Herman Suryatman at Gedung Sate, Friday (19/4/2024) evening.

To accelerate this target, on the same day Herman invited regional secretaries, military commanders and police chiefs in 27 city districts to Gedung Sate so that the West Java pumping program would be successful.

Herman revealed that currently the CPCL data collection that has been received from districts and cities is only 13,000 hectares or only for 1,300 pumps. Because one pump can irrigate 10 hectares of rice fields.

"That's why next week the data collection for 50,000 hectares must be completed, but it must be accounted for. That's why we are involving the Prosecutor's Office, the National Police and the TNI to make this pumping program a success," said Herman.

In this pumping program, initially the Ministry of Agriculture only provided 2,500 pumps for 25,000 hectares of rice fields. However, because the program was successful in West Java, the Ministry of Agriculture finally provided an additional 5,000 pumps.

"The Ministry of Agriculture has provided 2,500 pumps, then because the field is good the Ministry of Agriculture will add another 2,500 pumps for a total of 5,000 pumps for 50,000 hectares of rain-fed rice fields," he said.

With this pumping, West Java agricultural productivity is expected to increase because farmers will be able to harvest twice a year.

"So far, the harvest is only once a year, with pumping, there are two harvests," said Herman.