Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka encouraged agricultural modernization and strengthening the role of young farmers during a visit to the GMIT Tarus Agroedutourism Park in Mata Air Village, Kupang District, East Nusa Tenggara.During the working visit, VP Gibran held a dialogue with local millennial farmer groups and praised the agroedutourism area for involving younger generations in agriculture.”We do not want abundant harvests to go to waste due to outdated equipment. Farmer groups and young farmers have worked hard, yet their produce could be damaged because they still rely on manual tools,” he said.He stressed the importance of modernizing agricultural equipment to prevent post-harvest losses and improve productivity to achieve food self-sufficiency.”We will assist with more modern equipment to increase production and make it easier for them to work,” he added.The vice president also emphasized maintaining consistency in managing the agroedutourism area, particularly in supporting the food supply chain.”I urge you to remain focused on these positive activities. The harvest has been supplied to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, so the offtaker is clear. We will provide additional equipment based on needs,” he said.Furthermore, he underlined that agriculture is one of the government's priorities, in line with the President’s vision.”The President is focusing on food and energy self-sufficiency. Agricultural production must be significantly increased,” he affirmed.Meanwhile, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Melki Laka Lena said the VP's visit was a form of commitment to the agricultural sector in the province.The GMIT Tarus agroedutourism park is managed by a farmer group in collaboration with Kupang State Agricultural Polytechnic.The area applies an integrated agriculture concept combining crops, horticulture, fisheries, and livestock within a single ecosystem.On 5.38 hectares of land, farmers are able to cultivate three planting seasons annually, producing around 221 tons of unhusked rice per year.