Agriculture Ministry Accelerates PM-AAS Technology Adoption in Sukabumi Regency
The Ministry of Agriculture is accelerating the adoption of the Modern-Advanced Agricultural System (PM-AAS) through technical guidance and demonstration plots for extension workers and farmers in Citepos Village, Palabuhanratu District, Sukabumi Regency. The programme marks the initial phase of PM-AAS implementation in Sukabumi throughout July 2026, focusing on equipping extension workers and farmers to adopt precision farming technology and ensuring all cultivation stages meet technical standards to achieve optimal productivity.
Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman stressed that PM-AAS represents a tangible transformation of modern cultivation systems that not only increases production but also multiplies farmers’ welfare. “PM-AAS is a concrete application of modern farming systems that can increase farmers’ income by more than three times compared to conventional methods. Accelerating food self-sufficiency is not just about chasing production increases, but also ensuring farmers gain far greater profits through cultivation system transformation,” he said. He added that traditional farming patterns must be abandoned and replaced with modern, efficient, and mechanised systems. “We must completely change our farming methods. No more manual farming that is exhausting and costly. With PM-AAS, we implement full mechanisation and direct seeding to cut production costs by up to 50 per cent and boost productivity from an average of 5 tonnes to 8-10 tonnes per hectare. This technology must be mastered directly by farmers in the regions,” he asserted.
Leli Nuryati, Head of the Centre for Plant Variety Protection and Agricultural Licensing and the official responsible for Sustainable Food Self-Sufficiency in Sukabumi Regency, stated that PM-AAS implementation is not solely focused on expanding application areas but on ensuring all technical parameters are met from the outset to genuinely increase productivity. “We are working closely with extension workers and farmers to directly oversee PM-AAS implementation in Sukabumi through technical guidance and demonstration plots. This initial stage is crucial to ensure farmers and extension workers fully understand the PM-AAS guidelines before wider application,” she explained. She noted that coordination and technical guidance throughout July are focused on building comprehensive technical understanding and evaluating the readiness of land designated for PM-AAS. “We must ensure the prepared land meets the expected parameters in the technical guidelines, not just rigidly following rules but fulfilling the ideal conditions. We should not merely pursue large tracts of land but end up with suboptimal harvests,” she said.
According to Leli, the success of PM-AAS is determined by the discipline of meeting basic parameters before planting begins. “The most crucial thing to check before starting PM-AAS is the soil pH level. Once the acidity level is identified, we can take subsequent steps to ensure the pH is ideally around 6.0-7.0 so that rice can grow properly,” she clarified. Technically, PM-AAS combines various modern cultivation innovations, from land preparation according to parameters and soil conditioning to the use of superior lodging-resistant varieties and a direct seeding system with dense populations. The system also applies water management through the Alternate Wetting and Drying method and precision fertilisation based on plant needs. “Through this approach, plant populations can be increased to 800,000 up to 1.2 million clumps per hectare, while simultaneously reducing water usage, labour requirements, and production costs,” she said.
Extension workers from Surade District in Sukabumi Regency creatively assembled a drum seeder independently for use by farmers. The drum seeder was used for direct seeding demonstrations in the rice fields, allowing participants to witness precision planting techniques using the PM-AAS method. Additionally, extension workers received technical guidance on assembling drum seeders independently using local materials, enabling faster and cheaper technology transfer without reliance on imported equipment. To ensure comprehensive PM-AAS implementation, the Directorate General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities also provided socialisation on the latest technical guidelines for subsidised fertilisers while evaluating distribution smoothness in Sukabumi Regency to guarantee farmers’ production input needs during the cultivation process. The Sukabumi Regency Government, through its Agriculture Office, also expressed full support for PM-AAS implementation. “This programme is determined not only by the application of modern technology but also by the compliance of all implementers with technical guidelines so that the targets of increasing productivity and farmers’ welfare can be achieved optimally,” Leli concluded.