“Seed import purchase price transactions have reached Rp20 billion to Rp30 billion per year abroad. Some Rp30 billion is very huge, but that is not all I can think of, but we have also provided Rp30 billion for overseas farmers," Koster noted in Denpasar on Thursday.
Hence, the Bali Provincial Government is striving to reduce imports to support local farmers, who have had to purchase about 20-30 kilograms of marigold flower seeds each year.
The purchase of marigold flower seeds from abroad has been ongoing for a decade. The activity continues, as the plants have high economic value in Bali.
Based on records of the Bali Provincial Government, marigold flower, which is used in religious ceremonies and decorations, has annual sales valued at almost Rp100 billion. Meanwhile, the flowers perish in each harvest, so new seeds are needed.
"With the seeds’ development, seedlings, and cuttings of the Marigold Bali Sudamala flower, we hope that farmers would start planting on their land and selling these flowers to the market, from a price of Rp15 thousand per kilogram until someone sells at around Rp40 thousand per kilogram," Koster remarked.
The variety that was successfully developed by itself was named Marigold Bali Sudamala in five colors -- red, white, gold, yellow, and orange -- for which the government collaborated with academics from Udayana University and the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) to research the marigold flower.
GM Bali Gemitir Group Agus Ervani Sjoekoer stated that they have worked along with their research team for the last 70 days to produce Marigold Bali Sudamala seeds, seedling, and cuttings that were processed using organic fertilizer from cow dung.
The results have also been shown to 15 marigold flower farmers in Bali, and all of them gave good ratings, as the contours of the flower are considered as being good and have economic value, so they meet the requirements for marketing.
"Thus, the output from the development of Marigold Bali Sudamala is ready to reduce and stop seed imports," he remarked.
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Translator: Ni Putu Putri Muliantari, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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