Join The Potential Of GMO Plants As Agricultural Innovation And Sustainable Lifestyle

JAKARTA - Indonesia is entering a new era in the agricultural world, where genetic engineering technology or GMO (Generally Modified Organization) is the main focus to overcome the challenges of food security and climate change.

According to Mirna Mutiara, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Regal Springs Indonesia, the Indonesian government has issued many regulations and regulations that support the development of GMO plants. The existence of this regulation is a positive step in encouraging the adoption of this technology in the agricultural sector.

The main goal of implementing GMO technology in Indonesia is to ensure the country's food security by efficiently increasing food production.

This was expressed directly by Mirna through the 2025 Agrinovation Conference organized by Edufarmers and Indonesian Farmers Youth.

"The most important thing is first, maintaining the country's food security through increasing food production, and secondly, so that our farmers can face the impact of climate change by using good agricultural practices," said Mirna, when met at JCC, Central Jakarta on Saturday, February 22.

On the other hand, GMO technology is also expected to provide solutions to preserve the agricultural environment, which in turn will also support the sustainability of the Indonesian agricultural sector.

Prof. Bambang Prasetya, Chairman of the Indonesia Biosafety Committee, explained that genetic engineering products actually already exist in everyday life.

"Has anyone consumed tofu, tempeh, soy sauce, or boillary chicken? All of these are genetic engineering products," he said.

According to Bambang, genetic engineering technology can be seen as a way to accelerate natural processes that occur in nature. In this process, genes are arranged in such a way to achieve certain goals, such as resilience to disease, drought, or an increase in nutritional content such as provitamin A.

"This technology accelerates genetic changes that usually occur naturally, but with a more targeted goal. For example, plants can be developed to be resistant to drought or certain diseases," said Bambang.

He also added that since Indonesia adopted GMO technology in 2004, more and more products have been received, with some GMO products starting to grow in 2020. In addition, there are various other genetic engineering products, such as vaccines and animal feed, which have been used in Indonesia.

However, although the benefits are very large, Bambang also reminded the importance of careful management of risks that may arise due to the use of this technology.

"The genetic engineering process must be strictly controlled and monitored to avoid unwanted impacts," said Bambang.

In addition, Widiastuti, Deputy for Food and Agriculture Business Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, revealed that Indonesia continues to learn from other countries that have already implemented GMO technology.

"70 countries have implemented GMO technology, while in several other countries it has banned its use. In Indonesia, we take the positive side of the experiences of other countries to develop this technology," explained Widiastuti.

According to him, the government fully supports the GMO technology development program while still paying attention to the potential impacts that may be caused.

"In every government program, we continue to conduct studies to ensure the environmental and social impacts that can be caused by GMO," added Widiastuti.

In this case, cooperation between the government, industry players, and the community is very much needed to ensure that every policy taken can be accounted for and benefit all parties.

The 2025 Agrinovation Conference organized by Edufarmers and Indonesian Farmers Youth officially opened on February 22. This event marks an important achievement in encouraging agricultural innovation and collaboration in Indonesia.

More than 1,500 participants attended this conference, including farmers, policymakers, industry leaders, agritech startups, and investors, who exchanged knowledge, ideas, and solutions to face challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the Indonesian agricultural sector.