High Profits Ahead of Dry Season: Bulog's Procurement Prices Boost West Java Corn Farmers
The rain-fed hills of Sukawening District, Garut Regency, West Java, which have traditionally been associated with the threat of crop failure, are now becoming a new field of hope for corn farmers. Rainfall continuing into early May provides an opportunity for farmers to maintain planting despite the approaching dry season.
In Cikendal Village, Sukalarang, corn farmer Jajando Sumpena (54) is capitalising on this momentum to replant corn on hilly terrain at 1,000 metres above sea level. In April, he successfully harvested more than 20 tonnes of corn from a three-hectare plot. This yield is considered high compared to the average production of corn farmers, which typically reaches only 5 to 7 tonnes per hectare. As the dry season approaches, parts of his land have been replanted, while other sections are being prepared for the next planting season.
“If we plant corn now, we can still harvest in July or August, because corn only requires water during the initial planting stage,” said Jajang when met at his farmland.
For rain-fed farmers, weather certainty is a matter of survival. Consequently, the rain falling at the start of the dry season is viewed as a ‘lifeline’ to maintain food production in the Garut hilly regions. However, farmers face challenges beyond the weather; Jajang must deploy several guard dogs to ward off troops of wild monkeys that frequently destroy corn crops nearing harvest.
Amidst commodity price uncertainty, Garut’s corn farmers have received a boost after Perum Bulog established a procurement price of Rp6,300 per kilogram. This price is considered far more profitable than selling to middlemen, where prices fluctuate between Rp4,000 and Rp5,000 per kilogram. This price certainty has boosted farmer morale, especially as the government has intensified food self-sufficiency programmes and the expansion of corn planting over the last two years.
As the Chairman of the Mekarjaya Farmers Group, Jajang now routinely supplies approximately 10 tonnes of corn every week to Bulog. The corn is sourced from member farmers spread across the Sukawening area. According to Jajang, the partnership with Bulog provides market certainty that was previously difficult for farmers to obtain.