Jakarta, June 2 -- Indonesia's regional irrigation upgrade program was 82.73 percent physically complete as of May, Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said on Tuesday, as the government seeks to strengthen food production and advance its food self-sufficiency goals.

"Regional irrigation projects mandated under the President's instruction have reached 82.73 percent physical completion," Dody told a parliamentary hearing with Commission V of the House of Representatives in Jakarta.

The program has a budget allocation of about Rp350 billion ($21.4 million) and targets improvements across 19,760 hectares of farmland. Financial realization stood at 38.36 percent as of May, the minister added.

The initiative is being implemented under Presi...