Distan Says Pupuk Stock In Central Lombok Is Safe Due To The Withdrawal Planting Season

Illustration of farmers working in the fields. (Daniel Klein-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Department of Agriculture of Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province stated that the availability of subsidized fertilizers for farmers during the planting season is ensured to be safe.

Head of the Plantation Division at the Central Lombok Regency Agriculture Service, Zaenal Arifin, said that the stock of fertilizers is safe, one of the factors is because the planting season is delayed and it is estimated that the crop fertilization process will begin in January.

"The rice plant fertilization process will begin in January, so that it can use the 2024 fertilizer allocation," he said in Praya, Central Lombok, Wednesday.

He said, if the planting season starts in November, the fertilization will be carried out in December, so it must use the remaining fertilizer allocation 2023. However, the current condition of the average farmer is still in the planting process, so the peak of fertilizer use is in January 2024.

"The availability of fertilizers for farmers in the first planting season is ensured to be safe. The stock of 2024 fertilizers can be used at the beginning of the year," he said.

He said the proposed subsidized fertilizer needs for farmers in Central Lombok 2024 reached 58,543 tons, with details for urea type organic fertilizer as much as 25 thousand tons and NPK as much as 32 thousand tons.

"How much will be given in 2024 depends on the central government. What is clear is that we have proposed the fertilizer needs in accordance with the e-RDKK (Community Needs Definitive Plan)," he said.

He said the proposed fertilizer needs in 2023 were the same as the fertilizer needs in 2024, but the allocation given was for urea as much as 17 thousand tons and NPK 14 thousand tons.

"Hopefully we can be given a subsidized fertilizer allocation according to our needs," he said.

He said the allocation of subsidized fertilizer needs which reached 58,000 tons was carried out based on RDKK for the total planting area of both rice, corn and soybeans for a year.

"The total land area for the planting season in Central Lombok for that year reaches 127 thousand hectares of rice, corn and soybeans," he said.

In accordance with the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture (Kepmentan) Number 734 of 2022, in 2023 the highest retail price (HET) for subsidized fertilizers is Rp2,250 per kilogram for urea fertilizers, Rp2,300 per kilogram for NPK fertilizers, and Rp3,300 per kilogram for NPK fertilizers with a special formula for cocoa.

"The price of subsidized fertilizers remains in accordance with HET," he said