Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono emphasized that increasing land productivity and optimizing planting frequency are the primary keys to achieving food self-sufficiency and strengthening sustainable national food security.”The main key lies in increasing land productivity and optimizing planting frequency,” he stressed during a seminar organized by the Defense University (Unhan) in Bogor, West Java, on Thursday, according to a statement.Sudaryono underlined that efforts to achieve comprehensive food self-sufficiency are being strengthened through increased production and appropriate policies.”To harvest more, we must plant more. This can be achieved by increasing productivity on the same land and increasing the planting frequency within a single year,” he remarked.He explained that the Ministry of Agriculture continues to promote policies that can boost farmer productivity, including driving harvest yields per hectare beyond current averages.In addition, the ministry also continues to optimize the planting index so that farmers can use their lands to plant more frequently within a year.The deputy minister emphasized that the success of food self-sufficiency is inseparable from the government's strategic policy support.One crucial aspect is the improvement of irrigation infrastructure. He noted that the construction of 61 dams during the previous administration had not yet reached full potential due to jurisdictional limitations in developing irrigation networks.”Through the Presidential Instruction on irrigation, all parties—at both the central and regional levels—can now play a role in developing irrigation networks. With a budget reaching Rp12 trillion in 2025, these improvements are expected to ensure consistent water availability for farmers,” he explained.In addition to irrigation, fertilizer policy reform has been another vital step taken by the government. Previously, the distribution of subsidized fertilizer was hindered by a long bureaucratic chain involving numerous parties.Now, he said, the regulations have been simplified, allowing the distribution to be carried out more quickly and accurately.Another policy driving farmer enthusiasm is the setting of the Government Purchase Price (HPP) for unhusked rice at Rp6,500 per kilogram. This policy is seen as capable of stabilizing prices during the harvest season while providing income certainty for farmers.”With the right policies, even if the amount of land and the number of farmers do not increase, and even if the budget has not risen significantly, the self-sufficiency target can still be achieved,” Sudaryono asserted.