The government of Central Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands Province, encourages residents to develop family farming by utilizing empty land in their yards. "We encourage every family to be able to use the yard to plant horticultural crops," said Central Bangka Regent Algafry Rahman in Koba, Sunday.
He explained that family farming would become part of the power of food if it was really diligently developed. He also said, if every housewife is able to develop a variety of horticultural commodities, it can help the region suppress inflation. "Especially red chili and shallot plants which can trigger inflation because production in the area is not sufficient," he said. Head of the Central Bangka Agriculture Service Sajidin said the family farming program was very effective in helping to meet the basic needs of the family and could also help suppress inflation.
"Family farming is also to support family food security, if the average family grows horticulture then the economy will be tough," he said. He explained that the existence of family farming in general is to increase the availability, affordability and utilization of food for farming families in accordance with balanced nutritional needs.
"Besides that, this is also to alleviate food insecure vulnerable areas, strengthen food security areas, increase the income of farming families," he explained. His party has also provided 50 hectares of land for red chili plants as a form of the local government's seriousness in developing the horticulture sector as a source of the people's economy. "This is also a realization after the Babel Provincial Government established Central Bangka Regency as a center for horticultural crops in Babel," said Sajidin.
