The state-owned agriculture company, Perkebunan Nusantara X (PTPN X), has reported it produced 431,020 tons of sugar in 2015, maintaining its position as the largest sugar producer in Indonesia.

PTPN X production director T. Sutaryanto said that the company yielded a 8.3 percent ratio of rendemen (the sucrose content of sugarcane) in 2015, an increase from the 2014 figure of 7.65 percent.

"The rendemen level of 8.3 percent is among the highest in Indonesia," he said in a press statement, as quoted by kontan.co.id in Jakarta.

In 2015, PTPN X managed 70,301 hectares of sugar fields in East Java, producing 5.18 million tons of sugarcane. It operated 11 sugar mills in several cities of East Java, such as Mojokerto, Sidoarjo, Jombang, Nganjuk, Kediri and Tulungagung.

To boost sugar production, PTPN X had revitalized its plantations and mills. Efficiency-oriented programs were launched, such as machinery electrification to curb the usage of the fuel, improvement of its grinders to reduce the loss of sugar and the reduction of idle hours by improving supply.

'€œEfficiency is very important as it will determine the competitiveness of our sugar mills, especially related to production costs, which ultimately affect the profitability of the company,'€ Sutaryanto said.

In the future, he added, the company would improve farm performance by boosting the superior-variety of sugarcane through seed cultivation and development.

PTPN X would also improve its monitoring system, increase the competency of its employees and provide stimuli to increase farmers'€™ performances. (ags) (+)

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