Monargo gives scholarship

JAKARTA (JP): Herbicide producer PT Monagro Kimia has agreed to provide US$5,000 in scholarships for students of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB).

Company president Hans Bijlmer said on Thursday that the scholarship program would be given to IPB students to help them continue their studies amid the current crisis.

"We are worried that IPB students who are expected to be experts in agricultural development, will not be able to finish their studies because of the crisis. With this help, we hope that they will become future leaders supporting agricultural development," Bijlmer said.

Bijlmer said that the company would also establish job training programs for agriculture students.

IPB's acting director Aman Wirakartakusumah, who symbolically received the scholarships on Thursday said that around 1700 IPB students have currently obtained scholarships from several agriculture-related firms.

PT Monagro Kimia is wholly owned by U.S. giant chemical company Monsanto Co. The company, which began operating in Indonesia in 1987, produces popular herbicides and pesticides such as Polaris, Roundup and Spark, which can be used for rice and hard crops. (gis)