Farmer Suffers in Planting Jejangkit Batola, Walhi Kalsel Hopes Peatland Conversion Not Like HPS Land

The Shiro Corp, MARABAHAN - In an effort to strengthen national food resilience, which is a priority of President Prabowo Subianto through Asta Cita, various agencies and even state-owned enterprises (BUMN) have opened new agricultural land.

The Police (Polri) and Military (TNI) are also not left behind. The opened land is mainly for corn and rice. This is also happening in South Kalimantan (Kalsel).

As recently as before, the Ministry of Agriculture officially designated Tapin Regency as one of the priority areas for the Optimalization of Swamp Land (Oplah) Program and the development of new farmland. The total land prepared is close to 10 thousand hectares. This was previously done for Tanahbumbu Regency and Barito Kuala Regency.

Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, some time ago, mentioned that in South Kalimantan, the plan is to print 30 thousand hectares of rice fields and 24 thousand hectares of Oplah Swamp.

However, in the midst of implementing the program, the agricultural area of Kecamatan Jejangkit, Batola, which was designated as the location for World Food Day (HPS) on October 16, 2018, seemed to be increasingly forgotten. In fact, during preparation, this area absorbed a lot of budget because it was touted as the rice granary of Kalsel. Moreover, it was reported that President Joko Widodo was expected to visit there.

Based on observations by BPost in recent times, the HPS area, specifically in Jejangkit Muara Village, is still marked by farming activities by the community, especially those who own land. Most of it is still in the stage of land preparation for planting. Some of it is in the seedling phase.

Found in his rice field, Fahmi admitted that he had just started planting because the flooding had only just begun to recede. "If it had started to recede earlier, it wouldn't be too late," he said.

Fahmi revealed that high tide is one of the obstacles in this area for farming. The next challenge is bird and rat attacks. "Usually there are rat and bird attacks by September-October. That's why it's still unknown what the results will be," he explained.

Although it was difficult, he chose to keep striving. "This has become our job, so we continue to try and take care of and protect the rice. The results will come later," he said.

Although there are still farmers working the land, a significant amount of land lies fallow. This was acknowledged by the Head of Jejangkit Muara Village, Jamhari.

The land currently being cultivated is not as extensive as during the HPS activity period. The reason is that this area is often flooded. Especially in recent years, particularly in 2020.

"Furthermore, the fallow land is also not owned by the local community but by people from outside. Therefore, it might not be cultivated anymore," he explained.

Heading towards the 2018 HPS, the Provincial Government of Kalsel mobilized its affiliates to process this area. The employees were even asked to guard it in shifts.

According to Jamhari, post-2020 flood, agricultural activities in the area became active again and even showed a positive trend. However, by late 2024 or early 2025, flooding struck again, thus for 2025 it is not yet certain how much land will be cultivated by the farmers.

"In our village there are six farmer groups and each group has more than 50 people," he said.

The head of the Agricultural Extension Office (BPP) in Jejangkit, Agus Suyatno, explained that there are 4,367 hectares of productive land in this district. However, the actual planted area could be smaller due to various obstacles. "There is still a lot of water, which causes delays in planting. Usually in April, but this year it only started in June, so there is a high possibility of reduced production," he explained.

Agriculture in Jejangkit, especially on HPS 2018 land, has not gone unnoticed by the Indonesia Environmental Forum (Walhi) South Kalimantan. Its rice production has been decreasing. In 2020, Jejangkit's rice production reached 2,879 hectares. However, in 2021 it dropped to 2,127 hectares and in 2022 it was only 1,104 hectares.

"This is proof that without sustainable management, large projects can backfire," said Walhi Kalsel Executive Director Raden Rafiq on Tuesday (17/6). This refers to the Oplah Rawa program.

Ia menilai pola pembangunan pertanian selama ini bersifat top-down atau dari atas ke bawah, kurang melibatkan petani lokal dan tidak mempertimbangkan daya dukung serta daya tampung lingkungan, terutama di kawasan rawa yang sangat sensitif secara ekologis.

According to him, agricultural success cannot be measured solely by the expanse of land opened, but must touch on social, ecological, and economic aspects. Land development should not alienate farmers from control over their land and harvests. "If land is controlled by corporations or state-owned enterprises, while farmers merely become laborers, then the people will still not be sovereign over their own food," he asserted. (ran/msr)

Batola Aims for 20 Thousand Hectares

In the Rawas Oplah Land Optimization Program, Baritokuala Regency received a number of targets from the Ministry of Agriculture. The target for five years is 20,139 hectares, irrigation of 500 hectares, and intercropping upland rice with plantations of 973 hectares.

Until now, the results of the Survey Investigation and Design (SID) as well as the Prospective Farmers Prospective Locations (CPCL) have been available. The construction contracts have also been executed. As for the socialization of the construction implementation, it has been held in five districts on July 13, 2024.

The Head of the Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities Division at the Agriculture, Food Crops, and Horticulture Office (PTPH) in Batola Handoko explained that by 2025, the Oplah Rawa activity will be implemented on 1,696 hectares. The land is spread across five districts, namely Tabunganen, Alalak, Anjir Pasar, Belawang, and Wanaraya. This is based on the CPCL proposal, which was forwarded to the Government of South Kalimantan Province and then to the central government.

As for Oplah in 2024, Handoko stated that about 18 thousand hectares have already been implemented.

Handoko explained that the Oplah Rawa activities are more about water management or irrigation normalization. "Last year it was already worked on, and this year it is still in the administrative process. It might be in July, and those who will carry it out later will be from the TNI," he said.

Disagreed on the target, Handoko is confident it will be achieved. "Insya Allah it will be achieved for Batola. Especially since by 2024 it will reach 18 thousand hectares," he said.

Regarding paddy field printing in 2025, Handoko said 696 hectares. "The locations are in Anjir Pasar, Anjir Muara, Wanaraya, and Mandastana," he explained.

Responding to Oplah Rawa, the Executive Director of the Indonesia Environment Forum (Walhi) for South Kalimantan (Kalsel), Raden Rafiq, said on Tuesday (6/17), that several tasks must be a concern for the local government so that this program does not end up like the World Food Day (HPS) farming area on October 16, 2018 in Jejangkit District, Batola.

Among these are improvements to the water management system, evaluation of previous agricultural projects, active involvement of local farmers, provision of production facilities and market access, as well as rehabilitation of damaged land before opening new areas.

From an environmental perspective, Walhi emphasizes the importance of preserving wetlands that serve ecological functions such as water buffering, wildlife habitat, and microclimate regulation. If converted en masse without adequate study, this program could actually pose a risk of causing ecological disasters such as floods and droughts.

"Without adequate environmental studies, conversion of wetlands can trigger ecological disasters such as floods, droughts, and even loss of biodiversity," he explained.

Walhi promotes an agricultural model based on agroecology and a restorative approach, and emphasizes the importance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (KLHS) before starting large-scale projects.

This approach should also prioritize proven local wisdom that has survived alongside nature. "We do not reject food security programs. But let this not be an excuse for exploitation that damages the environment and marginalizes farmers," Raden concluded. (ran/msr)