Balikpapan, May 8, 2025 – Director of the State Agricultural Polytechnic (Politani) Samarinda, Dr. Hamka Nurkaya, attended the Coordination Meeting (Rakor) for Achieving East Kalimantan Food Self-Sufficiency held at the Auditorium of the VI/Mulawarman Military Regional Command Headquarters, Balikpapan City. This event was part of the Working Visit of the Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, Dr. H. Andi Amran Sulaiman, in an effort to accelerate the food self-sufficiency program in East Kalimantan through land optimization and the movement to create new rice fields.
On that occasion, Dr. Hamka conveyed his aspirations to the Minister of Agriculture regarding the importance of the role of the younger generation in supporting national food security. He directly asked for support from the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture to encourage the interest of the younger generation to love the world of agriculture and be encouraged to continue their education at agricultural universities, especially at vocational institutions such as Politani Samarinda.
"We hope for real support from the Minister in raising the spirit of young people so that they are not ashamed to be involved in the agricultural sector, continue their studies at agricultural universities, and together realize food self-sufficiency in East Kalimantan and Indonesia," said Dr. Hamka during a dialogue with the Minister.
"Politani is not only an institution that produces superior human resources, but also an important part in the success of the government's strategic programs, both President Prabowo's Asta Cita for food security, and the East Kalimantan Provincial Government's food self-sufficiency target," continued the Director.
The coordination meeting, which was led directly by the Minister of Agriculture, was attended by a number of regional officials, elements of the TNI-Polri, community leaders, and higher education institutions. In the forum, strategic steps were discussed to support food security through the expansion of agricultural land, utilization of technology, and strengthening of agricultural human resources.
The Indonesian Minister of Agriculture welcomed the idea and emphasized the importance of collaboration between the central government, regions, and educational institutions in encouraging the birth of millennial farmers who are able to accelerate the transformation of Indonesian agriculture.
This activity is an important momentum in strengthening the synergy between the world of vocational education and national agricultural development policies. Politani Samarinda affirms its commitment to continue to play an active role in producing superior, characterful, and adaptive graduates to future agricultural challenges. (PR)