Bali Provincial Government will build about 200 irrigations during 2015 in an effort to help farmers achieve food security.

“Agriculture will continue to grow well, if it’s supported by good infrastructure and one of the most important is the irrigation channel,” said Deputy Governor of Bali Ketut Sudikerta during a dialogue with farmers, ranchers and fishermen, in Denpasar on Friday.

Associated with irrigation canals to be built, he said, each channel will be allocated a budget of around IDR250 million. “Damaged irrigation channels will be helped to fix, and build the new one to the area which do not have the facility yet” he said.

Former Vice Regent of Badung hoped that the farmers to maintain the irrigation channel.

“Do not let irrigation canal blocked by dirt of branches and trash, because it will affect agricultural productivity,” he said.

On the other hand, to support food security, Sudikerta said local city government also routinely subsidizes fertilizers to farmers annually.

“With the fertilizer subsidy, farmers can be further increased productivity in any crop,” he said.

Bali provincial government, he added, since 2009 also launched the Integrated Agricultural Systems (Simantri) to further increase farmers’ income, in addition to supporting food security efforts.

Sudikerta adding that farmers can obtain additional results from cattle developed in Simantri, not only from seedlings, also from its dung and urine can be processed into fertilizer and bio urine to fertilize crops.

Until now, Bali has more than 400 combined group (gapoktan) who get assistance from Simantri program.