Innovative Corn Seed Technology Boosts Maize Productivity in Ponorogo

Collaboration between the government, the private sector, and farmers is a central step in strengthening national food security through the application of modern, efficient, and innovation-based agricultural technology. This commitment was demonstrated through a maize harvest event held by Bayer Indonesia with the Coordinating Ministry for Food in Pijeran Village, Siman District, Ponorogo, East Java. The event was attended by Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, Ponorogo Regent Lisdyarita, Acting Head of the Ponorogo Agriculture, Food Security, and Fisheries Agency Masun, Rector of Muhammadiyah University of Ponorogo Rido Kurnianto, Agriculture Affairs and License to Operate Lead of Bayer Crop Science Indonesia Aditia Rusmawan, and representatives of farmer groups from Pijeran Village. Hanif stated that increasing productivity is key to achieving national food self-sufficiency targets amidst limited land and the challenges of climate change. ‘Strengthening food security is not enough through land expansion. We must increase productivity through the use of agricultural technology and innovation. Collaboration between the government, farmers, and the private sector like Bayer is a real example of how innovation can drive regional production centres to become pillars of national maize production,’ he said. The importance of increasing productivity is also reflected in the national maize production trend, which continues to show growth. In January 2026, the national maize harvest area reached 0.24 million hectares, an 11.17 per cent increase compared to 0.22 million hectares in January 2025. During the same period, dry shelled maize production with 14 per cent moisture content was estimated to reach 1.38 million tonnes, up 11.09 per cent from 1.25 million tonnes in January 2025. As one of the top 10 maize-producing regions in East Java, Ponorogo recorded a harvest area of approximately 39,046 hectares with a production of 284,242 tonnes in 2025, or an average productivity of 7.28 tonnes per hectare. This potential makes Ponorogo a strategic area in supporting national food self-sufficiency targets. Acting Regent of Ponorogo Lisdyarita conveyed that as a maize production centre in East Java, Ponorogo continues to strengthen cross-sector collaboration to increase agricultural productivity. ‘Amidst evolving challenges, the use of innovation and technology is an important step so that farmers can increase yields while supporting the achievement of the national maize self-sufficiency target,’ she said. In this context, the collaboration with Bayer through the use of the Dekalb DK19C variety serves as an example of seed innovation application in the field. Technical evaluations in Pijeran Village, Siman, Ponorogo, showed good agronomic performance. Aditia Rusmawan added that for his party, agricultural innovation must provide real benefits for farmers. ‘Through Dekalb hybrid maize seed technology, we want to help farmers increase productivity and obtain harvests with better economic value. The use of DK19C maize seeds shows how science-based innovation can be applied concretely in the field to promote more advanced and sustainable maize farming,’ he said. Aditia also added that Bayer will soon introduce the Dekalb DK 19S and DK 09S maize seeds, biotech seed technology that provides two unique modes of action to protect plants from above-ground pests such as corn borers and armyworms. The DK19S and DK09S maize seeds also include tolerance to the Roundup Ready 2 herbicide. From an economic perspective, the benefits of maize seed innovation are also directly felt in farming operations. High yield and low moisture content at harvest automatically reduce drying costs. This productivity strengthening is not only about harvest tonnage but also about building farmers’ net profit margins through maximum shelled weight output with optimal input. Miswanto, a maize farmer from Ronosentanan Village, Siman District, Ponorogo, said that since using Dekalb DK19C maize seeds, plant growth has been more uniform, cobs are better, and yields have increased. ‘Besides higher production, costs are also more efficient because the harvest quality is good. Cultivation assistance from Bayer also makes us more confident in applying new technology in the field,’ he said. The collaboration between the central government, local government, Bayer, and farmers forms an important foundation for building a more productive, efficient, and sustainable agricultural sector, while strengthening Indonesia’s steps towards maize self-sufficiency.