PORTALJABAR, DISTRICT. GARUT - Acting Regent of Garut Barnas Adjidin together with his wife Sri Kartika Barnas Adjidin, who also serves as Chair of the Family Welfare Empowerment Team (TP-PKK) of Garut Regency, carried out the first potato planting ceremony for the 2024 Highlands Project in Selecta Village, Sukawargi Village, Regency Garut, Tuesday (7/5/2024).

In his speech, Barnas underlined the extraordinary potential of Garut Regency in various agricultural commodities. Potatoes are a commodity that has bright prospects.

Barnas expressed his optimism that potato production could develop rapidly in Garut and become a superior production center, not only to meet local needs but also to become a national potato supplier.

"Hopefully with this planting, we will become a superior potato center, which can cater not only to Garut Regency, West Java, but even Indonesia," he said.

Not only that, he also hopes that by planting potatoes, the potato farming community in particular can be happy, live a decent life, and that future potato development can also be developed in other places that are used as potato planting locations.

"We hope that with the advancement of agriculture here, civilization will also advance in this place, where children go to school, then their health improves, then their income increases, which will certainly be a matter of happiness for the community, especially potato farmers," he said.

Head of the Garut Regency Agriculture Service, Haeruman, revealed that potatoes are one of the most prominent commodities that has contributed to Garut's agricultural sector.

He revealed that during 2023 potato production in Garut Regency will reach almost 220 thousand tons with a planting area of 7,627 hectares. Garut has even been listed as the district with the highest potato production in West Java, contributing around 79.67% of potato production at the West Java provincial level.

Haeruman highlighted the significant role of the Upland program in increasing potato production in Garut. This program has been implemented in four villages in two sub-districts, namely in Sukawargi Village, Cisurupan District, Margamulya Village, Simpang, and Cikandang, Cikajang District, with an impact on increasing productivity which is quite impressive.

Haeruman said that before the Upland program, potato production reached 18 tons per hectare, but with this program, this figure increased to 25 tons per hectare. The target is to reach 35 tons per hectare, with the condition that farmers must remain disciplined and carry out the methods that have been taught.

"My hope (and) target is that it can reach 35 tons (per hectare), it can be done but farmers have to be disciplined," he said.

Haeruman also mentioned the existence of five sub-districts in Garut which produce potatoes, namely Pasirwangi, Cikajang, Cisurupan, Cigedug and Sukaresmi. He emphasized that Upland's activities were part of the government's efforts to develop potato production in Garut.

He advised farmers to continue to be disciplined and united, so that Garut's hopes of becoming a national source of potato seeds can be realized.

In this potato planting activity, grant assistance was also handed over to farmers and farmer group associations (Gapoktan) in Garut Regency, as a form of support in increasing the productivity and welfare of farmers in the area. (Diskominfo Garut/UPI)