Envoy Of President Panen Padi Organic Animal Agriculture In Karawang

Rice Harvest (Between)

The Presidential Special Envoy for Food Security Muhamad Mardiono follows a rice harvest whose plants are processed using organic fertilizer from animal waste, in the Tirtamulya District, Karawang Regency, West Java.

"This is a big harvest that implements a circular agricultural system, agriculture that is supported with organic fertilizers," said Muhamad Mardiono, after the harvest in Karawang, Saturday.

He said the agricultural system using organic fertilizer is quite effective, because it can increase the production of rice harvests and can restore the soil habitat of rice fields, which have generally been degraded with high-dose chemicals.

Planting rice using a circular agricultural system is also important to reduce production costs that must be incurred by farmers.

Mardiono assessed that the agricultural system supported by organic fertilizers could be a solution to increase productivity, restore the habitat of rice fields and reduce production costs.

"Darmono (a farmer who initiated the use of pure organic fertilizers), together with me, have also conducted trials of uniting rice planting activities by raising livestock," he said.

According to him, in accordance with the results of tests on rice fields in the Tirtamulya area, Karawang, which is fronted by Darmono, has succeeded in reducing the use of chemical fertilizers by up to 50 percent, after three harvest seasons.

"Furthermore, it is hoped that later in the following harvest season the use of chemical fertilizer will decrease. So that in the end, with a target, if possible, we will release (use) chemical fertilizer. But if we can't use it gradually, we will reduce it until the point is as efficient as possible. That way, the soil conditions in the rice fields will return to fertile," he said.

He said, after three times the planting season and harvest season using the organic fertilizer pattern sourced from properly processed and measurable animals, it has succeeded in restoring the soil fertility rate until its PH reaches 6.5 percent.

"The rice fields around here (Tiramulya District area), which has not used the organic pattern of PH soil conditions, are 4.5 percent. Of course, production costs are high, production is low and prone to pests," he said.

Mardiono said, with the organic animal farming pattern, farmers can produce up to 6 tons of rice per hectare