It is right that our soybeans contain higher nutrition. Second, they are not genetically modified but non-transgenic. The imported ones, on the other hand, are GMOs that are not much spoken about.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Local soybeans have two advantages in terms of being more nutritious and organic as compared to the imported ones, according to Various Beans and Tubers Director at the Agriculture Ministry Yuris Tiyanto.

“It is right that our soybeans contain higher nutrition. Second, they are not genetically modified but non-transgenic. The imported ones, on the other hand, are GMOs that are not much spoken about,” Tiyanto told Antara here on Tuesday.

GMOs, or transgenics plants, refer to those that are genetically manipulated in order to generate the desired products, he explained.

All local soybean products, however, are organic, he highlighted.


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“Transgenics are those that experienced genetic manipulation. However, if we see our soybeans, none of them are genetically manipulated. They are organic and actually healthier, I guess,” he noted.

The local soybeans taste better than the imported ones owing to their higher protein content and being obtained through the organic cultivation method, according to Tiyanto.

Hence, tempeh and tofu, produced at the soybean production center in Central Java, have a richer taste as compared to those made from imported soybeans, he pointed out.


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Apart from its advantages, the various cons associated with local soybeans include unstandardized yields, he stated.

The director acknowledged that several farmers are still harvesting green soybeans, thereby producing mixed green and yellow soybeans.

The soybean production trend in Indonesia has continued to decline from year to year since the farmers switched to other more beneficial commodities than soybeans, he remarked.


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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Juwita Trisna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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