BRIN Encourages Acceleration Of Breeding Technology To Create Superior Varieties

A number of eucalyptus varieties developed by the Yogyakarta Research and Development Center for Biotechnology and Forest Plant Breeding (B2P2BPTH) won the Indonesian Innovation Award. (PHOTO ANTARA/HO-KLHK)

JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) encourages the acceleration of innovation and plant breeding technology to create more high-yielding varieties of horticultural and plantation crops.

"Achieving sustainable agricultural commodities must be supported by the development of technological innovations that are targeted and applicable and easily accessible to the general public," said the Head of the Agricultural and Food Research Organization of BRIN Puji Lestari as quoted by Antara, Saturday, June 11.

The combination of breeding and transdisciplinary technology can act as a tool to produce high-quality horticultural and plantation seeds along with scalable supporting technologies for wider economic expansion.

According to him, the potential of the horticulture and plantation sub-sectors in Indonesia has a significant role in economic development. However, there are still many obstacles, both external and internal.

To that end, the development of innovation and technology can support the achievement of sustainable agricultural commodities so as to increase the contribution of the horticulture and plantation sub-sectors to the Indonesian economy.

For example, cocoa and coffee in Indonesia are sources of foreign exchange, employment and soil and water conservation.

Through plant breeding technology, new varieties can be produced with superior characteristics such as high productivity and better quality, which will be utilized by the community and industry.

In order to support food security as well as the availability of industrial raw materials and export fulfillment, the Horticulture and Plantation Research Center of the Agricultural and Food Research Organization of BRIN seeks to continue the invention of superior varieties candidates previously produced by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The research collaboration between BRIN and the Ministry of Agriculture is expected to contribute to the Indonesian economy in the future through the use of research and innovation results with various industrial partners.