Farmers welcome superior sugarcane varieties NX and Panjalu

Several sugarcane farmers in various regions have welcomed the superior sugarcane varieties NX and Panjalu distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture as an effort to achieve sugar self-sufficiency.

The Directorate General of Plantations of the Ministry of Agriculture stated in a written statement in Jakarta on Friday that the government, through the sugarcane production increase program, is expanding the use of two superior varieties, namely NX and Panjalu, to reduce the dominance of the Bululawang (BL) variety which is susceptible to burn disease.

A sugarcane farmer from Pati, Central Java, Angga Rangga, who has used these varieties, stated that NX 04 is relatively drought-resistant and suitable for planting on land with limited irrigation.

NX-04, he continued, is a Bululawang (BL) variety that has been enhanced or boosted and has been designated as a superior variety by the government since 2013.

“Physically, NX-04 is not different from Bululawang but has several advantages, including resistance to burn disease, high tillering, production of over 1.2 tons per hectare with a sucrose content of 9 percent,” he said.

He added that the weight is quite large, like Bululawang, and it does not produce flowers or rarely produces flowers.

The Panjalu variety is a new type that was designated as a superior seed in June 2025. However, its use has been widely implemented.

Meanwhile, Irawan, the owner of the Panjalu variety, said that this superior sugarcane variety has a dominant yellow stem color, with a productivity reaching 1.5 tons/ha, with a sucrose content reaching 11 percent.

“Based on farmers’ experience, it has relatively fast growth, is drought-resistant, and has many tillers. This variety has characteristics similar to Bululawang, namely having many tillers and a high weight. One clump can produce 10 tillers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Supardi, a sugarcane farmer from Tegal, Central Java, said that the Panjalu variety does not have hairs, so there is no need to use face and hand protection if you want to enter the sugarcane field.

“In addition, this superior variety is not easily damaged. The stem is long, large, and not hard, so it is liked by cutters because it is easy when harvesting,” he said.

Through the distribution of these seeds, the Ministry of Agriculture hopes to contribute to the introduction of new varieties and encourage increased sugarcane production and sucrose content.