F

armers in Lampung have expressed their willingness to have their produce certified, in the hopes it will help prop up food prices and improve their bargaining position.

"We're ready for certification," Suparyoto, the head of a farming community in Gunungterang, West Lampung, said recently.

"We've been developing organic farming techniques over the past five years. Our vegetables, fruit and coffee beans are free from artificial pesticides and fertilizers. We rely on organic fertilizers that we process ourselves, so our products are safe and healthy."

He added the organic vegetables fetched higher prices at the market than vegetables grown using inorganic pesticides and fertilizers.

"The current market price of tomatoes is Rp 1,500 per kilogram, while tomatoes grown organically fetch between Rp 2,000 and Rp 3,000 per kilo," he said.

Pardi, 35, a banana farmer in Pesisir Tengah, West Lampung, said local farmers growing the raja bulu variety were long accustomed to the good agriculture practice (GAP) standard.

"We'd be happy to be certified, because it would make it easier to market the produce," he said.

"To date, we've had difficulty selling our bananas in Jakarta, because the prices are dictated by middlemen."

Lama Rekyanti, the Lampung Food Security's (BKP) quality division head, said the agricultural produce certification program would commence this July. Besides ensuring consumers were protected from produce tainted with hazardous pesticides and chemical fertilizers, the certification is also part of preparations for the implementation of a 2004 ordinance issued by the Jakarta administration requiring all agricultural produce entering the city to be safe for consumption.

"The ordinance will take effect in 2010," Rekyanti said.

"Lampung, as one of the main suppliers of vegetables and other produce to Jakarta, must be prepared to comply, or risk the produce being rejected."

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The organic vegetables fetched higher prices at the market

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The Lampung BKP has begun certifying chilies and raja bulu bananas, and has formed a provincial food security authority (OKKPD) to oversee the quality and freshness of agricultural produce before it heads to market.

The BPK is also looking to set up regency and municipal OKKPDs at agricultural production centers across the province by year's end.

"In the initial stage, certification will be carried out for chilies at vegetable production centers in Binjai Agung in Bekri, Central Lampung, and for raja bulu bananas at Rawas in Pesisir Tengah, West Lampung," Rekyanti said.

"There are 134 observation points during the growing cycle. In the two areas, we will observe the compliance to the GAP and its standard operating procedures *GAP-SOP*."

Lampung BKP head I Made Suwetja said the certification model for bananas and chilies would also be adapted at other banana production centers, such as in South Lampung and East Lampung.

He added the food production procedures carried out at every step of the growing process in Lampung was not yet uniform.