Kediri Government Distributes 200 Tonnes of Corn Seeds to Support Food Security
The Kediri Regency Government, East Java, has distributed 200 tonnes of maize seeds to farmers in the regency as part of an effort to support food security.
The Regent of Kediri, Hanindhito Himawan Pramana, stated that the government-provided maize seeds are intended for 683 farmer groups across 26 districts in Kediri Regency. The seed assistance, valued at Rp19 billion, is designed to assist local farmers.
“We will not stop here, because following the seeds, we will also provide agricultural machinery and tools (alsintan); please stay tuned for further updates,” he said after symbolically distributing the maize seeds to four farmer groups at agricultural land in Nambaan Village, Ngasem District, Kediri Regency, on Tuesday.
He added that the distributed maize seeds are sufficient to plant maize across 13,300 hectares of farmland. The Kediri Regency Government supports farmers in cultivating maize as one of the regency’s flagship commodities to bolster food security.
He also noted that in addition to maize seeds and the provision of agricultural machinery, the government is providing assistance for land preparation and the supply of fertiliser.
Furthermore, the government is ensuring that post-harvest prices for flagship agricultural commodities in Kediri Regency remain stable, ensuring that farmers remain profitable.
“Regarding the post-harvest period, what farmers usually complain about is uncertain pricing. For maize, a price of Rp5,500 per kilogram has been established for absorption by Bulog,” he said.
As a key food commodity, the current area of maize cultivation in Kediri Regency has reached 56,000 hectares, with total production reaching 392,000 tonnes. Based on this data, each hectare of land can produce an average of 7 tonnes of maize.
The Regent also encouraged farmers to increase their enthusiasm for cultivating food crops to subsequently increase agricultural production volumes.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Rudianto, a farmer from Wonorejo Village, Puncu District, stated that the land in his village can produce 9 tonnes of maize per hectare.
He noted that one of the keys to the success of such high yields is soil preparation. Additionally, organic fertiliser is being applied extensively to ensure soil fertility, with a fertilisation composition consisting of 70 per cent organic fertiliser.