Gowa, South Sulawesi (Antara Bali) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla launched a national one million bamboo trees planting program in the village of Lanna, Gowa, South Sulawesi, on The ceremony was marked by the planting of a "petung" (giant) bamboo tree by the vice president in the company of environment minister Siti Nurbaya, communication and information minister Rudiantara, South Sulawesi governor Syahril Yasin Limpo and hundred community members on a plot of land belonging to state-owned forestry company PT Inhutani.
"A bamboo tree has a lot of benefits from its root to its leaves and so an idea has emerged to develop it," the vice president said.
He said the idea came when he travelled to Tempe Lake in the district of Wajo along with the governor of South Sulawesi.
"At that time we saw the lake has been shrinking due to river problems. Lake Tempe is no longer blue," he said.
The vice president said a success of forestation could be seen from the color of a river's water.
"If the water of the river is blue it means forestation is successful. If the color is brown it means it is not successful yet. Around here the color is not yet blue meaning forestation has not yet been successful," he said.
To make the program successful he said the government has distributed saplings fir the people to plant.
"It is about how to involve the people. I told the minister to study first. The method is public involvement. That is what we are doing now," he said adding people could later sell them.
Governor Yasin Limpo said the national bamboo tree planting program was started in his region marked by the planting of 10 million saplings.
"Here we have a bamboo tree garden because there is a paper factory in Gowa. It was also here that former president Soeharto had come while I was still a sub-district head," he said.
He said the program was aimed at protecting the river's bank so that it would not be damaged and "it was an order from the vice president." (WDY)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2016
"A bamboo tree has a lot of benefits from its root to its leaves and so an idea has emerged to develop it," the vice president said.
He said the idea came when he travelled to Tempe Lake in the district of Wajo along with the governor of South Sulawesi.
"At that time we saw the lake has been shrinking due to river problems. Lake Tempe is no longer blue," he said.
The vice president said a success of forestation could be seen from the color of a river's water.
"If the water of the river is blue it means forestation is successful. If the color is brown it means it is not successful yet. Around here the color is not yet blue meaning forestation has not yet been successful," he said.
To make the program successful he said the government has distributed saplings fir the people to plant.
"It is about how to involve the people. I told the minister to study first. The method is public involvement. That is what we are doing now," he said adding people could later sell them.
Governor Yasin Limpo said the national bamboo tree planting program was started in his region marked by the planting of 10 million saplings.
"Here we have a bamboo tree garden because there is a paper factory in Gowa. It was also here that former president Soeharto had come while I was still a sub-district head," he said.
He said the program was aimed at protecting the river's bank so that it would not be damaged and "it was an order from the vice president." (WDY)
Editor : I Gusti Bagus Widyantara
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2016