Modern Dryer And Silo Investments Can Drive Corn Production

Corn (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The government is recommended to increase investment in building modern dryers and silos with large capacities in corn farming centers.

This was stated by the Head of Agriculture, Plantation and Livestock Division of the Central Board of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (BPP Hipmi) M Hadi Nainggolan quoting Antara.

"Such as East Java, Central Java, Lampung, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Gorontalo, West Nusa Tenggara and other areas that have large corn farming," he said.

According to Hadi, the development of modern dryers and silos can be an innovation in the downstreaming of Indonesian corn farming. This is the infrastructure area after the corn harvest from the government is still inadequate.

In addition to fixing post- maize infrastructure, Hipmi also encourages state-owned and private banks to increase financing in the agricultural sector.

"Business capital in the agricultural sector is large and needs more flexible support by the banking sector. Both for farmers and for entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector," he said.

That way, he said, government support felt real to support farmers in increasing the productivity of corn farming.

Hadi also asked the government not to import corn, especially at harvest. He also responded to the decline in corn prices in the last two weeks. According to him, the drop in corn prices caused huge losses to farmers.

"Hopefully this incident of falling corn prices will be the last time in Indonesia," he said.

Previously, the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi asked Perum Bulog, including all parties, both business actors and stakeholders in the field of corn food, to optimize the absorption of domestic production so that the price does not fall.

As of May 14, 2024, the total domestic corn absorbed by Perum Bulog has reached 16 thousand tons. It consists of absorption in post-harvest infrastructure at the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Dompu Corn Drying Center (CDC) Warehouse with a total absorption of 5 thousand tons and the North Sulawesi Bolaang Mongondow CDC at 5.7 thousand tons. In addition, there is also absorption outside the CDC, which has reached a total of 5.4 thousand tons.

The highest absorption outside the CDC is in the Regional Office (Kanwil) of Bulog NTB with an achievement of 4.9 thousand tons. Then the Regional Offices of North Sulawesi and Gorontalo 150 tons continued by the Regional Office of Bulog South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi were recorded to have absorbed 110.57 tons. The Regional Office of Southeast Sulawesi at 101.2 tons, the Regional Office of Central Java 100 tons, and the Regional Office of East Java 9.95 tons.