IDXChannel - The Agriculture Ministry has completed optimizing 40 thousand hectares of swamp land in Merauke District, South Papua, to support food supply availability.

"The swamp land optimization process in Merauke has been completed today, according to the target set, namely 40 thousand hectares," the ministry's Secretary of the Directorate General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities, Hermanto, noted in a statement from his office on Tuesday.

According to Hermanto, once land optimization is completed, farmers can immediately cultivate the land and plant to increase rice production.

He then outlined the 40 thousand hectares of swamp land optimization spread across six sub-districts: Tanah Miring, with an area of 10,540 ha; Kurik, 10,674 ha; Semangga, 6,000 ha; Malindo, 6,629 ha; Merauke, 1,609 ha; and Jagebob, covering an area of 4,549 ha.

He remarked that the construction work for land optimization in Merauke included the construction of irrigation networks, farm bridges, and water pumps.

Hermanto added that in addition to land optimization, land cultivation and planting will utilize agricultural mechanization by deploying modern agricultural machinery.