JAKARTA - Hybrid tropical vegetable seed producer Cap Panapan Merah, PT East West Seed Indonesia (EWINDO) celebrates its 35 years of travel. With the theme 'Excellence and Innovation', this celebration is an important milestone where for 35 years EWINDO has been present as a strategic partner for farmers in the country.
In this event held in Purwakarta, EWINDO featured 27 varieties of superior vegetables from cultivation using high quality seeds, as a tangible form of commitment to sustainable innovation in the agricultural sector.
Present at this event included the Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Prof. Dr. Ir. Rachmat Pambudy, MS; Head of the National Food Agency, H. Arief Prasetyo Adi, STAT, Ph.D. (h.c); Deputy for Plant Quarantine, Ir. Bambang, MM.; Director of Horticultural Treatment at the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Intiwi Nashwari, academics from a number of universities and farmers from various regions in Indonesia.
In his remarks, the Minister of National Development Planning (PPN) and the Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Rachmat Pambudy in his speech said that food self-sufficiency is one of the national development priorities, both in the long term and in the short term.
"We hope that agriculture will become part of economic growth, and agriculture can also become the competitiveness of our natural resources and human resources," he said, in a written statement, Wednesday, May 14.
He also expressed his appreciation to Ewindo for supporting the target of achieving Indonesian agricultural development as stated in the national development plan document.
"EWINDO has also contributed, not only in increasing productivity, but also assistance to farmers and improving the welfare of farmers," said Rachmat Pambudy.
Meanwhile, Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that in the food ecosystem, seeds are the most important part where Ewindo is one of those who has attention to this.
"In addition, food diversification is also very important, such as various vegetables and Ewindo play a lot of roles here," said Arief.
For more than three decades EWINDO has helped more than 2.2 million farmers throughout Indonesia out of a total of about 7 million horticultural farmers to #ParenMakmur. The company, known as the 'Red Arrow Gap', also partners with 17,000 farmers and 35,000 polynautors to produce superior seeds of high quality vegetables to answer the challenges of climate change, pest attacks and disease which are increasingly worrying to the public's demand for higher vegetable quantities and quality.
"This 35-year journey is a reflection of our dedication to continuing to be the best friend of Indonesian farmers. We believe that high-quality superior seeds and modern technology adoption are a formidable agricultural foundation," said Managing Director of PT East West Seed Indonesia, Glenn Pardede.
In this event, EWINDO also introduced 27 new superior varieties to respond to farmers' concerns, including against the increasingly widespread Gemini virus attack. Among the new varieties are Melon DAVIDina F1, Terong M 72 F1, MARTA 54 F1 Tomatoes, and Kacang Panjang GUARDA. The company also has a strong commitment to support food security, especially commodities that affect inflation by researching and producing superior varieties of MERDEKA F1 and Cabai TANGGUH F1 shallots.
The presence of these new varieties further complements the more than 400 superior varieties that farmers have previously used to increase their crops and meet the need for people's vegetable products throughout these 35 years. EWINDO focuses on high quality seeds, namely being productive, disease resistant, and according to market preferences. Develop seeds with short harvest life and maximum yields and ensure the availability of seeds throughout the planting season with a national distribution network.
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"We continue to research and develop to obtain superior varieties that are adaptive to Indonesia's tropical climate of high quality, disease-resistant, large production potential and prolific harvest age. We hope that this new variety can meet the needs of farmers for quality seeds and of course provide maximum results," added Glenn Pardede.
Research and development of plant varieties is not easy and cheap and takes a long time. On the other hand, the need for farmers for superior varieties that are disease resistant is increasingly urgent. Therefore, according to Glenn, EWINDO made a large investment to build a research center to answer these challenges.
As a result, EWINDO is currently the first vegetable seed company in Indonesia to have the largest, complete and integrated research laboratory facilities. Through this research facility, the Company can accelerate the development of varieties through a marker-assisted braeding approach and double-haploid technology. EWINDO researchers also operate bio-molecular laboratories to ensure the purity and quality of seeds, apply biochemical trials for the development of high-nutrition vegetables, for example tomatoes with high-licopen content, high-betacaroten labs, and paria with high antidiabatic substances.
In this event, farmers also had the opportunity to consult with experts from EWINDO regarding, among others, control of pests and plant diseases, and plant cultivation techniques. In addition, farmers can exchange experiences with farmers from other regions to increase insight. It is hoped that farmers who participate in this 35-year celebration can transmit knowledge obtained to other farmers in their respective regions.
"With the spirit of innovation and sustainability, we are ready to move on to the next decade with Indonesian farmers, to create more productive and prosperous agriculture," concluded Glenn Pardede.
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