Jakarta \u2014 The Ministry of Agriculture is pursuing food\nself-sufficiency by 2025 as part of national food security. This success\nhas been achieved through a range of efforts, such as accelerating the\narea under cultivation; providing agricultural production facilities\nincluding pre-harvest farm machinery, ameliorants, fertilisers, seeds,\npesticides, and post-harvest machinery; increasing crop intensity;\nboosting productivity; and creating new paddy fields.<\/p>\n
Among these efforts, seeds have emerged as a production factor\nplaying a strategic role in boosting agricultural output. Empirically,\nhigh-quality certified rice seeds are shown to contribute 40-60 percent\nas a determinant of production. The government recognises this,\nprotecting farmers when using seeds, as stated in Articles 30(1) and\n30(2) of Law No.\u00a022 of 2019 on Sustainable Agricultural Cultivation,\nwhich requires seeds to meet quality standards, be certified and\nlabelled.<\/p>\n
Seeds must be available to meet farmers\u2019 needs. Farmers require seeds\naccording to six \u2018right\u2019 principles: the right variety, the right\nquality, the right quantity, the right time, the right location, and the\nright price. Seeds that are not available as needed could be fatal for\nfarmers\u2019 livelihoods and could undermine national food security\nstability.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture previously pioneered the Mandiri Benih\n(Seed Self-Reliance) Programme by the Directorate of Seed Planting,\nDirectorate General of Food Crops since 2015, by giving local breeders\nspace to meet seed needs in situ (locally), which has proven to\nsignificantly support farming.<\/p>\n
Now the programme needs to be strengthened and developed continuously\nand sustainably, especially in areas lacking superior quality varieties,\nthus relying on certified seeds from outside the region. The Seed\nSelf-Reliance Programme aims to grow and develop seed producers, both\nnew and established, to raise the capacity of Seed Distribution (BR) and\nenhance farmers\u2019 ability to produce seeds locally (in situ)\nindependently.<\/p>\n
The Seed Self-Reliance Programme provides facilities to farmer\ngroups\/producers in the form of inputs such as seed sources,\nfertilisers, pesticides, and seed-packaging equipment. It even provides\nseed warehouses, drying floors, seed transport equipment, and training\nin rice seed production.<\/p>\n
The operation principle of PMB (Mandiri Benih Programme) is to\nprovide equipment for seed production and cultivation of candidate rice\nseeds for one PMB unit per one farmer group. One farmer group equates to\n10 hectares. From that area, the programme aims to produce at least 30\ntonnes of seed, assuming a high-quality seed yield of 3 t\/ha. That\nfigure is sufficient to meet seed needs for 1,200 hectares, assuming 25\nkg of seed per hectare. The production could support seed\nself-sufficiency for six villages, each with 200 ha of paddy fields.<\/p>\n
Since its launch in 2015, the programme has shown significant\nresults, having developed 1,313 units on seed-breeding grounds spanning\n13,130 hectares. Average potential seed production is 2.62 tonnes per\nhectare, equating to around 34,361 tonnes of rice seed\u2014enough for seed\nneeds across 1.3 million hectares.<\/p>\n
In Majalengka, West Java, the Gangsa I Farmers Group has become a\nseed breeder. The lead breeder, Nasihin, is a former Mandiri Benih\nbeneficiary, and to date can produce 1,200 tonnes of rice seed per\nyear.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/strengthening-the-independent-seed-programme-to-address-seed-shortages-1779542341", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }