Other Publications
Hybrid rice beneficial: Seed firm
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 10/17/2007 11:05 AM
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Trimurjo, Central Lampung
A private company introducing a variety of hybrid rice to Indonesia has acknowledged the Chinese-originated rice must be grown using special seeds but denied it would make the country dependent on imports or that the company would monopolize seed supply.
The seed company, PT Sumber Alam Sutra (SAS), said it had established a special research and development center in Central Lampung regency and a 30-hectare farming area to produce hundreds of tons of seeds to be distributed to groups of farmers across the country.
""The production of seed is aimed at preventing Indonesia from becoming dependent on seed imports from China and India, the two big countries that have succeeded in achieving food self-sufficiency by developing varieties of hybrid rice,"" SAS president director Babay Chalimi said Tuesday.
Babay was responding to a claim made by the Biotani Indonesia Foundation that the new rice would not benefit the country since it would make it dependent on seed imports or a certain company supplying the seed.
SAS is developing new rice varieties to follow up a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Indonesia and China in July 2006.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who signed the MoU with China's Kho Hau Ltd., is scheduled to inaugurate the seed center and to harvest the first rice crops earmarked for the hybrid seed Wednesday.
Babay said SAS had no conspiracy with the government to take financial advantage of the special seedling program.
""Of most importance is how the government will encourage farmers to grow the new rice variety to produce rice en masse in order to reach self-sufficiency and reduce the country's dependence on imported rice,"" he said.
He added NGOs should not only criticize but provide solutions or alternatives to improve the agriculture industry.
Suwarno, an agriculture expert and head of the Sukatani Rice Seed Center in West Java, said the Lampung seed center was developing new rice varieties suited to Indonesian soils which were more productive and resistant to pests and diseases.
""The new varieties, which have yet to be named, have been tested several times since 2005 and are able to yield up to 15 tons of unhusked rice per hectare,"" he said.
""A group of farmers is still undergoing a training program to learn how to make seeds of the new varieties.""
Established in 2004, Sunaryo said the Lampung seed center would produce up to 3,000 tons of seed until 2009.
Lampung province is one of Indonesia's main rice producers along with West Java.
Meanwhile, Babay said his company would start a partnership program with farmers for the hybrid rice seed.
""Farmers will provide the land while the company will provide the seeds, fertilizers and technical guidance,"" he said.
He added farmers were entitled to eight tons of rice per hectare of harvest, while the remainder would be split evenly between the farmers and the company.
