JAKARTA - The Indonesian Luxury Sciences Association (PERIPI) in collaboration with IPB University and PT East West Seed Indonesia (EWINDO) officially held the Indonesian Breeder Award 2025, a place of highest appreciation for plant growers (plant breeder) who have made a big contribution to national food security.
Carrying the theme Breeding is Giving', Indonesian Breeder Award 2025, or Anugerah Pemulia Indonesia, reaffirming that plant cultivators are Indonesian food heroes' they produce superior varieties which are real solutions for farmers while strengthening the nation's food security.
The Chancellor of IPB University as well as the Head of BRIN, Professor Dr. Arif Satria, SP, MSI, in his speech said that currently Indonesia only has 1,000 plant cultivators, and only 250 people are active. This means that Indonesia still needs thousands of cultivators to meet sustainable food needs. Therefore, the Indonesian Breeder Award activity does not only give appreciation, but is a call for the revival of Indonesian plant cultivators.
"Today we pay tribute to those who work in silence in every greenhouse, laboratory, attempted land that may never appear in public spaces but the contribution is felt by millions of people through seeds planted by farmers," said Professor Arif Satria, in his statement, Wednesday, November 19.
Professor Arif Satria also emphasized that BRIN has a strong commitment to continue to be the center of the birth of the best innovation and plant cultivators in Indonesia, collaborating with universities, seed industries, governments and communities to accelerate the independence of national seeds.
"I express my appreciation to all parties who have contributed to organizing this event, especially PERIPI and EWINDO, who continue to be committed to advancing the breeding of Indonesian plants," continued Professor Arif Satria.
The Indonesian Breeder Award 2025 was held in conjunction with the National Seminar of the Indonesian Herbal Sciences Association which was attended by around 150 participants from government elements, domestic and foreign academics, business actors, plant cultivators, associations, and the agricultural community. There are 10 plant cultivators who this year received awards from seven categories, namely Economic Impact, Social Impact, Innovation & Technology Development, Lifetime Achievement, Local Heroes, Young Breeder, and Plasma Nutfah. Each category is designed to highlight the various properties of plant growers from various regions and generations.
One of the main highlights of the Indonesian Breeder Award 2025 is the strong commitment to encourage the birth of young breeders. Indonesia is currently facing serious challenges in the form of a crisis in the number of plant cultivators, especially the younger generation who are interested in entering the field of breeding. For this reason, the new category this year, namely Young Breeder, who has two winners, has become a new symbol of hope for the world of Indonesian breeding.
Indonesia needs more young plant cultivators who are creative, persistent, and have a heart call to serve farmers. Celebration is a profession that has a long impact on today's work results that can only be seen for the next generation. Therefore, the Indonesian Breeder Award is not only an award event, but also an invitation for young people to see that Breeding is Giving to farmers, giving to the nation, said Managing Director of EWINDo, Glenn Pardede.
Through the Indonesian Breeder Award 2025, it is hoped that more students, young researchers, and a new generation of professionals will be inspired to pursue the field of plant breeding as a meaningful career.
Through the Indonesian Breeder Award, we want to show that plant cultivators are a strategic profession and are urgently needed. We are proud to see the emergence of two Young Breeder winners this year, which proves that the future of breeding in Indonesia remains bright if we encourage it together, said the Chairperson of PERIPI, Professor Muhamad Syukur.
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In addition to focusing on the younger generation, the Indonesian Breeder Award 2025 also pays special attention to the Local Heroes category, a new category aimed at cultivators or local drivers that has a direct impact on developing agricultural communities in the regions.
This year, the Local Heroes award was awarded to Yareli, an inspirational figure from Deli Serdang, who has struggled to develop local chilies as well as build a community of farmers for the production of curly chilies. His efforts were not only to produce varieties that matched local needs, but also to strengthen the village economy and encourage the independence of farmer groups.
Meanwhile, for the Nutfah Plasma category, the award was given to Hervia Latuconsina Budi for her persistence in collecting and registering ornamental Hoya plants, one of the Indonesian ornamental plants that is now global. And the winner of Lifetime Achievement is Prof Sumarno, a senior soybean researcher who has contributed a lot of thought and produced dozens of soybean varieties in Indonesia for decades.
"Food independence is impossible without plant breeding. And plant breeding is impossible without dedicated people. The Indonesian Breeder Award is a form of appreciation as well as a reminder that we must continue to grow an ecosystem that supports the birth of more quality breeders," concluded Glenn Pardede.
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