Jakarta, Oct. 9 -- Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman stated that the government's plantation and horticulture development program will create 1.6 million jobs in two years.

In a press conference at the Presidential Palace Complex, here on Thursday, he noted that the program is carried out by optimizing a budget of Rp9.95 trillion (around US$600 million).

The budget will be used mainly for the provision of free seeds and seedlings to farmers under the program, which covers the development of commodities like cocoa, coffee, coconut, cashew, and nutmeg with a total area of 800 thousand hectares.

Speaking after attending a limited meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto, he affirmed that the government continues to strengthen ...