Jakarta, Feb 17 (Antara) - Indonesia is working to boost its maize production and has expanded the area under corn cultivation. As a result, it expects to stop importing the commodity this year.
With this objective, the government has come up with a number of programs, including a plan to open three million hectares of new maize plantations, raising the total acreage of corn plantations to about 6.2 million hectares this year.
Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman and the Fodder Companies Association (GPMT) have agreed to stop the import of maize and increase production.
The minister revealed the plans to stop the import of corn while viewing the grand harvest of maize on a 160-hectare plot of land in the village of Tanjung Agung, South Lampung District, on Thursday (Feb 16). PT Vasham Kosa Sejahtra and PT Japfa Comfed have partnered with the local farmers for cultivating maize at the plantation.
In order to achieve the goal of stopping corn import, the government has committed to increase the production of maize nationally. The dry corn grain production was 23.2 million tons in 2016.
"We have included the South Lampung District in the list of regions where we hope to boost maize production. Moreover, South Lampung has become a maize production center for the Lampung Province," Sulaiman added.
Indonesia's maize production has been increasing over the past several years. In 2014, production had reached 19.03 million tons, up 2.81 percent from 18.5 million tons in 2013.
In 2015, maize production was recorded at about 20.6 million tons, 8.25 percent more than in 2014. For 2017, the government has set a target of producing some 25.2 million tons.
According to the Planning Bureau Chief of the Agriculture Ministry, Kasdi Subagyo, Indonesia is targeting to become self-sufficient in corn in 2018. But to stop maize import this year, the government has to achieve a production of about 25.2 million tons.
"We are in a position to become a maize barn in 2018 but will expedite to achieve the target in 2017 itself. We are optimistic since production in 2016 touched 23.2 million tons," Subagyo was quoted as saying by detikFinance online news portal earlier this month.
The increase in maize production is inseparable from the expansion of maize plantations in a number of corn production regions. The target is to add three million hectares of new plantations by the end of 2017.
On paper, about three million hectares of additional plantation should boost production by about 15 million tons.
"We will raise the acreage by three million hectares this year, of which one million hectare is an integrated plantation with oil palm and rubber plants. If one hectare produces 5.3 tons, there will be additional corn production of 15 million tons," Subagyo explained to detikFinance.
The intercrop plantation program is being implemented to overcome the problem of lack of land. According to Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, his ministry is now targeting an area of one million hectares of land across the country for maize intercrop plantations.
The intercrop plantations will be developed in Sumatra (South Sumatra), Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Java.
The program has been tried in West Sumatra and found relatively successful. Therefore, rubber farmers must support the program to make it more successful.
Based on the Agriculture Ministry's calculations, the country's domestic need of maize is around 20 million tons per annum, including the needs of the fodder industry. In 2016, about 600 thousand tons of maize was imported.
"The domestic needs, including the amount needed by the animal food industries, account for about 20 million tons. We have also met with the GPMT, and in the coming three months, we will achieve the target," Subagyo stressed.
Surplus production will have consequences for farmers as prices at the farmers' level will decline. Even now, farmers have been complaining that traders were purchasing their product at low prices.
Therefore, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman urged state-owned logistics board (Bulog) to purchase the farmers' maize at Rp3,150 per kilogram (kg) in a bid to maintain the commodity's price during the grand harvest season.
The minister made the appeal in response to the complaints received from farmers while witnessing the sale of their maize to the Fodder Companies Association (GPMT) in Pesawarn, Lampung, on Thursday (Feb 16).
The farmers complained that the traders only purchased their corn product at Rp2,300 per kg.
"We urge Bulog to purchase the farmers' maize at Rp3,150 per kg based on the government's regulation," the minister stated but adding, however, that the government's sanctioned price should be imposed on dry maize.
"If the maize is wet, Bulog can buy it at Rp2,600 per kg," he noted.
Sulaiman pointed out that the purchase of the commodity by Bulog is intended to set a regular price in the market, so that it will raise the price of the farmers' maize based on the government's fixed price of Rp3,150 per kg.
The minister remarked that the farmers had complained of the low price of Rp2,300 per kg offered by the traders at the farmers' level. However, traders sold it to companies at Rp3,500 per kg, gaining a profit of Rp1,200 per kg.
"So far, the farmers have only gained a profit of 20 percent, while the traders enjoyed 80 percent," the minister stated.(A014/INE) EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Suharto) 17-02-2017 21:54:2 |
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