Agricom.id, POLMAN - Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL), Governor of West Sulawesi, Ali Baal Masdar and Regent of Polewali Mandar, Andi Ibrahim Masdar, did soybean harvest in Village of Bumiayu, Sub district of Wonomulyo, District of Polewali Mandar (Polman), Wednesday (04/11/2020), as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

The soybean harvest in the region was the way of ministry of agriculture within the support of regional government to realize food security nationally from West Sulawesi Province.

SYL said that the numbers of soybean seed procurement would be essential as the healthy food material for the people and it needs supports from many stakeholders in the pandemic like now.

"For 273 million citizens of Indonesia, we have to produce as much as we could. The soybean needs could reach  2 two 3 million tons. The people in Java could not eat without tahu or tempe but the foreigners are afraid of losing their resource. Let us plant soybean now so that we could have enough stocks next years,” he said in his speech.

The soybean needs in one year reach 90% to tempe and tahu production; 5% for ketchup, yoghurt, and others. The issues to face are the certified soybean seeds are limited and mostly in Java within short durability time, about four months. It needs supports from the regions which are potential to produce soybean.

To fulfill the domestic needs, Ministry of agriculture gave helps, such as, production infrastructures, pre and post-harvest tools, and encourage the farmers to get kredit usaha rakyat (KUR) and develop agriculture in corporate and cluster – base.

The commitment of ministry of agriculture in this year is developed by giving helps of soybean cultivation covering 500 hectares in Polman. SYL also told his officers to develop the production in Polman by maintaining the best seeds quality.

“General Director of Food Plantation, please substitute the seeds here (for every commodity) covering 1.000 hectares, will you? Paddy, corn, and soybean too. The regent would order where they should be given,” SYL ordered Director of Beans and Cassava, General Directorate of Food Plantation, Amiruddin.

Data of soybean harvest in the province in 2019 covered 16.158 hectares (ha) within the production reaching 28.800 tons dry seed and productivity about 1,7 tons/ha.

SYL mentioned that it needs to develop seeds within higher productivity.

“The seeds should be more than 3 tons per hectare within the key development in the seed and price. Every superior seed in the Research and Development, Ministry of Agriculture should be distributed to increase the production,” he said.

It is important to make soybean downstream industries to get the price solution. That is why SYL mentioned that it needs to develop partnership between the farmer and the industry to get the certain market and advantage KUR so that the farmers would not rely on the helps from government.

“It needs to formulate the marketing system to introduce the local product. His side commits to develop soybean and should be managed in corporate model so that every stakeholder gets the advantage from the program. The farmers would get production tool service and modal, insurance protection, certain markets, and price guarantee,” he said.

Knowing this, Director of PT. Dwitunggal Nusa Mandiri, Petrus Chandra as the partner company for the farmers as the off-taker did welcome the soybean production by buying it from the province.

Soybean harvested in Sub district of Wonomulyo covered about 540 ha, while in Village of Bumiayu it covered 190 ha.

Head of Plantation and Food Agency, District of Polewali Mandar, H Hassani said that the harvested soybean was planted in the end of July to the midst of August 2020 within argomulyo and anjasmoro.

"The seeds were given by the government. The farmers mostly planted anjasmoro. But some substituted by argomulyo because it has bigger seeds and faster to be harvested,” Hassani said.

It needs to maximally advantage the area in the dry season by planting soybean. It is hoped, it could increase the people’s economy in Polman.

“What we do is by socializing and making cooperation with the company as offtaker to guarantee the harvest within the candidate buyers about Rp 7000/kg for the seed candidate and Rp 6500/kg for consumption." Hassani mentioned.

In the chance, ministry of agriculture symbolically gave seeds, agricultural tools, production infrastructure, and others in West Sulawesi reaching Rp 44,05 billion, and Polman got helps about more than Rp 7,5 billion.

The echelon 1 in ministry of agriculture; Regent of Polman, Andi Ibrahim Masdar; vice chairman of West Sulawesi Legislators, vice head of high court of West Sulawesi, vive head of police of West Sulawesi, regent in duty and other leaders of West Sulawesi did attend the event. (A2)