The effectiveness of rice field expansion program in increasing rice product in Tanah Miring District, Merauke Regency

The Program of Expansion Rice Fields on Rice Production in Current District Tanah Miring Regency of Merauke. This research aimed to describe the implementation of rice field expansion programs in increasing paddy production, analyze the effectiveness of the rice field expansion program in increasing paddy production, and to find out the supporting and inhibiting factors of the effectiveness of race field expansion program. The research was conducted using descriptive qualitative and quantitative approach. The research location was Tanah Miring District, Merauke Regency. The data collection was done using structural interviews through the questionnaires and the written documents. The 88 samples were chosen using the Slovin formula and the sampling probability approach. The data were analyzed using a descriptive quantitative and qualitative approach. The research results indicated that the implementation of the rice field expansion program in increasing paddy production had been run according to the regulation and the stated determination. The farmers’ evaluation concerning the effectiveness of the rice field expansion program in increasing the paddy production in Tanah Miring District, Merauke Regency were categorized as effective and effective enough. Some of the supporting factors were the improvement of dikes and land management, quality of excellent seeds, good quality fertilizers addition of standard land addition and increase of land area, production increase, and the paddy farmers were able to innovate the technology about the wet rice cultivation. Besides, there were inhibiting factors, such as the dike sizes were not adjusted to the land the planting season was often changed the irrigation water was not available during the planting season, the weather has not been unpredicted the rice fields were not accompanied with the irrigating canals, and the lack of farming roads.