BABEL – In order to support national food security and productivity and to implement the environmental greening program which is the vision of the Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Government, PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) handed over a pilot garden and nursery to the Bangka Belitung Provincial Government. This handover was made directly by the Director of of Pupuk Indonesia, Gusrizal to the Acting Governor of the Bangka Belitung Islands Ridwan Djamaluddin.

Gusrizal said that the handover of the demonstration garden and nursery was the result of cooperation between Pupuk Indonesia and the Bangka Belitung Provincial government. "We hereby hand over this pilot garden and nursery to be managed properly by the government of the Bangka Belitung Islands," said Gusrizal.

He explained that the creation of this pilot garden and nursery is a form of Pupuk Indonesia's support for the Provincial Government of the Bangka Belitung Islands which is currently carrying out the activities of the Hijau Biru Babelku movement (Green Blue, my Babel).

Gusrizal also hopes that the handover of the pilot gardens and nurseries will provide benefits to all residents of the Bangka Belitung Islands. The reason is, this activity can be an ideal farming learning center and increase people's understanding of the greening program and the use of family land.

"This pilot garden and nursery is important for the community to become an example of land use in agriculture," he said.

On the same occasion, the Acting Governor of Bangka Belitung, Ridwan Djamaluddin expressed his gratitude to PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) for supporting the greening program implemented through the Hijau Biru, Babelku movement. According to him, there are around 123,000 hectares of critical land in the Bangka Belitung Islands which must be managed properly.

"We have to manage 123,000 hectares of critical land in Bangka Belitung, we are working on it so that one day it will become productive land. Hopefully what we are trying to do will bring the maximum benefit to the community, especially in the Bangka Belitung Islands Province," said Ridwan. 

According to Ridwan, the pilot gardens and nurseries handed over by PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) to the Bangka Belitung Government are also expected to provide great benefits to the economy such as contributing to inflation because they can meet their own needs, open new jobs, and be able to produce millennial farmers.

"Thank you to PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), asking for your help so that later it will not just be ceremonial, we will try to keep this as an example, because this is our effort to encourage people to return to being productive in agriculture," he said.