The two-day inauguration event was attended by around 1,000 corn farmers whom Syngenta is committed to support via a variety of innovations, opening new opportunities in agriculture. The previous day, Syngenta also held an expo in Jombang, East Java, and launched the NK Naga superior-corn seed.

Also present at the event were Justin Wolfe, president of Syngenta Seeds; Bill Tomlinson, head of global-seeds production and supply; Kazim Hasnain, president director of Syngenta Indonesia; Fauzi Tubat, seed-business head of Syngenta Indonesia; Ir. Suwandi, director general of Food Crops represented by Catur Setiawan, coordinator of Seed Quality Control Directorate General of Food Crops; and local government officials and partners.

“I am happy to meet directly with Indonesian farmers and listen to their challenges. It will help Syngenta in understanding their challenges better while supporting their endeavor to fulfill the need for Indonesian food self-sufficiency,” said Justin Wolfe.

Efforts to improve the farmers’ productivity start with selecting tested superior seeds and ensuring their availability. With a new grain dryer, the Pasuruan seed-production center can improve the capacity of its cob-drying machines. The drying process of parent seeds with the support of PS PHO has a greater capacity, while maintaining the germplasm. Then, the single-part reversible dryer improves the overall system with doubled-production capacity.

E-commerce is another indispensable part of the supply chain. The opening of Syngenta’s online shop will help more farmers -- especially those who are digitally transformed -- to obtain their NK Corn Seed products.

“This official e-commerce store will be available on various marketplaces, such as Shopee, Lazada and Tokopedia. It will support farmers, especially for those who have difficulty reaching conventional shops, to get the best seeds for their cultivating corn,” added Fauzi Tubat.

“Syngenta’s superior corn seeds have long been known by Indonesian farmers and are proven to increase corn productivity,” Hasnain added optimistically.

Currently, Indonesia sits at the top of corn production in ASEAN with a total planted area of 3.5 million hectares (ha) and a land productivity of 5.4 tonnes per ha. The majority of corn farmers are smallholder farmers with an average land area of ​​0.5 ha. For more than 20 years, Syngenta has been providing corn farmers with high-grade seeds and innovations to increase their land productivity.

NK Naga superior corn seeds

Indonesian farmers are highly familiar with seeds produced by Syngenta, including NK 212, NK Perkasa, NK Sumo, NK Andalan, NK Juara, NK Super, NK Garuda and NK Fantastis. The recently launched NK Naga variant is able to adapt to paddy fields previously used for rice and corn planting using rainwater as an irrigation system.

NK Naga’s can be planted on lands that have been negatively affected by various endemic biota such as downy mildew and bacterial-stalk rot. The highly disease-resistant seeds are also very profitable as they can be planted more densely. All of its properties make NK Naga the best solution for farmers to gain optimal harvest yields

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