Agriculture experts of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) said Tuesday the controversial Supertoy rice variety linked to the President was in fact an older variety with a less impressive yield than had been announced.
Supertoy HL2 appeared to be related to the Pari Jawa variety which has a production capacity of between three and four tons of unhusked rice per hectare, far less than the 15 tons per hectare claim.
"From its physical appearance, the Supertoy HL2 variety is in the familiar Pari Jawa family," said Djoko Prajitno, an agriculture researcher of UGM's Agriculture Faculty.
"It does not have the capacity to yield 15 tons of unhusked rice per hectare."
The result was confirmed by Grabag village chief Gandung Sumriyadi in Purworejo, Central Java.
When Yudhoyono arrived for Supertoy's inaugural harvest, its developers claimed the variety could yield 14.7 tons per hectare.
Another researcher, Supriyatna, who specializes in plant breeding, said it was impossible get a new variety with a high yield from cross-breeding the Rojolele and Pandanwangi varieties, as was claimed by the Supertoy developers.
These two varieties were known for their superior taste and not high yields, he said.
"The fact that Supertoy HL2 could be harvested three times with one planting is also not a new thing, as most rice varieties can biologically produce grains from new buds after being harvested," he said.
"But the yield will not surpass the first harvest."
Djoko attributed the Supertoy failure in Purworejo to the ratooning system in which new grains grow from the bud causing the grass to become soft.
Farmers in Central Java have long been told not to use the ratooning method as it provides continuous food supply for pests and leads to possible infestations.
Researches at UGM's agriculture faculty hope the government, and especially the Variety Release Committee of the Agriculture Ministry, learn from the Purworejo incident and thoroughly inspect any new varieties before publicly releasing them to farmers.
"A new variety should be at least the seventh generation of a cross-breed of other varieties," Djoko said.
"The new variety should also be tested in at least 15 to 20 locations before being given to farmers."
Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono blamed PT Sarana Harapan Indopangan (SHI) which produced and distributed Supertoy seeds, saying the new variety had not passed a seedling test at the ministry's research unit.
Bantul Agriculture and Forestry Agency head Edi Suharyanto said it was not easy to use Supertoy HL2 to boost rice harvests as claimed by its developers.
The variety was tested by the developer in Bantul for three years, but yields were allegedly far below their claims.
Farmers refused to plant the variety, instead choosing to plant the IR 64 variety which has (proven) high production yields.
