Good News From Lamongan: Tobacco Contribution From Pecel Lele City Increases In 2020

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The contribution of tobacco plants from Lamongan Regency, for East Java Province (Jatim), has increased from 8,400 tons with a productivity of 1.35 tons/hectare in 2019 to 9,400 tons with a productivity of 1.45 tons/hectare in 2020.

"This places Lamongan Regency in the top five tobacco contributors in East Java," said the Acting Head of the Lamongan Food Crops, Holtikutura and Plantation Service (TPHP), Sujarwo in Lamongan, quoted from Antara, Friday, June 4.

Sujarwo explained that in Lamongan Regency there are two types of tobacco plants planted by farmers, namely Virginia and Java tobacco, with details of 4,300 hectares of land planted with Virginia tobacco and 3,200 hectares planted with Javanese tobacco.

Previously, Lamongan Regent Yuhronur Efendi also planted the first Virginia K326 tobacco in Nguwok Village, Modo District.

Yuhronur said that although tobacco productivity in the East Java region decreased in 2020, Lamongan Regency actually experienced an increase.

This, he said, shows that farmers continue to experience work productivity even in a pandemic situation.

"Tobacco production in East Java in 2020 is only 122 thousand tons, while in 2019 it reached 135 thousand tons, which means it has decreased. Meanwhile we have increased, even our provitas are above the East Java average. This shows farmers continue to experience productivity work even in a pandemic situation," he said.

Not only tobacco plants, Yuhronur admitted that the agricultural sector such as rice also increased from 1,025,000 tons in 2019 to 1,100,000 tons in 2020.

Regarding the attack of rat pests, Yuhronur admitted that control had been carried out through the Rat Pest Control Movement (Gedral) as an effort to maintain food crops in Lamongan Regency.

"Controlling rats using sulfur is an effort to control chemical pests. However, I hope that farmers will continue to use biological control such as Rubuha (Owl House)," he said.