Indonesian Farmers are Ready to Adopt Biotech Corn

Farmers in Lamongan, Indonesia are ready to use biotechnology to support corn self-sufficiency program in the country. This was stated by some 35,000 farmers from Lamongan and surrounding districts who attended the Farmer Meeting and Corn Harvest event in Lamongan, East Java, Indonesia on January 24, 2017. High government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Council, and the IndoBIC director served as resource persons.

The event was officially opened by the Regent of Lamongan, Mr. Fadeli followed by a ceremonial corn harvesting at Demfarm Region, Modern Village Banyubang, Solokuro, District of Lamongan, East Java. In his opening remarks, Mr. Fadeli said that Lamongan continues to support agricultural productivity by application of improved corn varieties. Lamongan is expected to become one of the centers of corn production in East Java and is ready to be a pilot project when biotech products are released in the Indonesian market. He also believes that if the farmers used biotech seeds then the yield will be much higher and Lamongan could be a "Corn Belt" in the country. Currently, the cornfields in Lamongan have reached 100 hectares spread across 12 districts and it will expand to reach 10,000 hectares within 2017. The event also recognized corn farmers who produced high yield in Lamongan. 

For more information on biotechnology in Indonesia, send an e-mail to IndoBIC through Dewi Suryani: catleyavanda@gmail.com.