Good evening, dear friends

By ANUNG
at Tengaran subdistrict, Semarang district

Good evening, dear friends, particularly to this blog’s readers and thanks to the administrator of the sekolahpetani.blogspot.com for reporting our activity.

Since five years ago I have been busy with collecting books, articles, etc. that relate to agricultural potentials. I found then great potentials in the commodity of organic rice. My interest increased to the peak when lack of synthetic fertilizers took place last year of 2008. A reliable information source says that average productivity of rice yield nationally only reaches as low as 4.7 tons per hectare.

I was also informed at the event of the third year of the national rice week in Sukamandi of W. Java in July 2008 about farming technique that helps improve rice productivity. There was introduced the system of rice intensification, apart from “IPAT-BO” (the intensification of aerobic-controlled organic rice cultivation) or other modes of intensification that render yield potential over 10 tons per hectare.

Upon returning from the event, we were stronger motivated to cultivate rice, apart from further emphasis that we were told about the promise of better quality of the rice. Our team agreed to try in Cikampek, Karawang and Subang, along the northern coast of W. Java. Meanwhile I myself organized teamwork in Banten.

Charged with conviction, I offered organic fertilizers to a couple of friends, named Fauzi and Mansyur. We were very convinced that rice plants would be better grown as compared to habits of local growers.

Here are some notes about the yield. In Cikampek, they grow IR64 variety with tillers reaching 120, resulting in 15 tons per hectare. In Subang, they grow gogo rice, i.e. rice variety usually grown in arid areas, resulting in 30 tillers. It happens that the rice plants endure drought about two weeks because they was no rain. However, after rain falls they only spray it with organic (liquid) fertilizers. In Karawang, the amount of rice seeds reaches 243 per panicle, much higher as compared to neighboring paddy that comes up with 127 seeds per panicle. The total yield is 8 tons per hectare.

In Serang district of Banten province, our trial shows a karung bag weighs up to 80 kg, compared to previous weight of 50 kg per bag. We manage to cook and try it. The rice is smooth and mellow. In the suburb of Cilegon town of Banten, rice paddy was prevented from birds’ attacks that savor rice seeds because the panicles are so drooping down for the seed weight. The fleet then attack neighboring paddy. The grower’s name was Tasbani who now already moves back to his home village in Indramayu for his success in Cilegon. In South Banten, petai trees yield much better that they are now paid at three million rupiah (USD 290) per tree as compared to earlier half million rupiah (USD 48) per tree because they apply organic fertilizer.

Those are some stories that we indeed are capable of improving quality and quantity of the yield, yet in small scale though. I do thank to my friend in Yogyakarta who helps us make the organic fertilizers that we do no longer need any synthetic ones. We are convinced that using any organic fertilizers would help us to have better rice yields.

May there be more growers who are willing to apply organic fertilizers on their farms. Let’s support the people who produce their own fertilizers that their yield be improved and spread all over agricultural lands of the country. The more organic farms, the bigger opportunities for the country to supply organic foods as part of organic commodities export opportunities. In the future we would have healthy foods that render our generation brighter facing harder challenges ahead.

Warm greeting of going organic 2010