The Coordinating Ministry for Food and Agriculture and Bayer Indonesia Held a Corn Harvest in Ponorogo

JAKARTA - Bayer Indonesia together with the Coordinating Ministry for Food held a corn harvest in Pijeran Village, Siman District, Ponorogo, East Java. This joint harvest is an example of the application of agricultural technology to support the acceleration of national corn self-sufficiency.

Collaboration between the government, the private sector, and farmers is key in strengthening national food security through the implementation of more modern, efficient, and innovative agricultural technologies.

Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, said increasing productivity was the key to achieving the national food self-sufficiency target in the midst of land constraints and the challenges of climate change.

"Strengthening food security is not enough just through expanding planting areas. We need to increase productivity through the use of agricultural technology and innovation. Collaboration between the government, farmers, and the private sector such as Bayer is a real example of how innovation can encourage regional production centers to support national corn production," said Hanif in his statement, Tuesday, July 7.

Hanif said that the importance of increasing productivity was also seen from the trend of national corn production which continued to show growth. In January 2026, the area of corn harvest nationwide reached 0.24 million hectares, or increased by 11.17 percent compared to January 2025 which was recorded at 0.22 million hectares.

"In the same period, the production of dry corn with a water content of 14 percent is estimated to reach 1.38 million tons, up 11.09 percent from 1.25 million tons in January 2025," he explained.

As one of the top 10 corn-producing areas in East Java, Ponorogo has a corn harvest area of about 39,046 hectares with a production of 284,242 tons in 2025 or an average productivity of 7.28 tons per hectare. This potential makes Ponorogo one of the strategic areas in supporting the national food self-sufficiency target.

Acting Regent of Ponorogo, Lisdyarita, said that as one of the centers of corn production in East Java, Ponorogo continues to strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration to increase agricultural productivity.

"In the midst of evolving challenges, the utilization of innovation and technology is an important step so that farmers are able to increase crop yields while supporting the achievement of national corn self-sufficiency targets," he said.

In this context, collaboration with Bayer through the use of Dekalb DK19C varieties is an example of the application of seed innovation in the field. Technical evaluation in the village of Pinjeran, Siman, Ponorogo showed good agronomic performance.

Agriculture Affairs and License to Operate Lead Bayer Crop Science Indonesia, Aditia Rusmawan, added that for Bayer, agricultural innovation must provide real benefits for farmers.

"Through Dekalb hybrid corn seed technology, we want to help farmers increase productivity and obtain better economic value crops. The use of DK19C corn seeds shows how science-based innovation can be applied in the field to encourage a more advanced and sustainable corn farming," he said.

Aditia explained that Bayer would soon introduce Dekalb DK 19S and DK 09S corn seeds, biotechnology corn seed technology that provides two unique ways to protect plants from pests above the soil surface such as corn borers and armyworms. The DK19S and DK09S corn seeds also include tolerance to Roundup Ready 2 herbicides.

"In terms of economics, the benefits of corn seed innovation are also felt directly in agricultural businesses. High yields and low water content at harvest automatically cut drying costs. This strengthening of productivity is not only about harvest tonnage, but also the formation of farmers' net profit margins through the maximum weight output of the pipilan with optimal inputs," he explained.

He added that collaboration between the government, local governments, Bayer, and farmers is an important foundation in building a more productive, efficient, and sustainable agriculture, as well as strengthening Indonesia's steps towards self-sufficiency in corn.

Meanwhile, corn farmer from Ronosentanan Village, Siman District, Ponorogo, Miswanto said that since using Dekalb DK19C corn seeds, the plant growth is more uniform, the cob is better, and the harvest increases.

"In addition to higher production, costs are also more efficient because the quality of the harvest is good. The cultivation assistance from Bayer also makes us more confident in implementing new technology in the field," he said.