"There are a lot of superior commodities in Lampung Province, and it needs to be maximized, because geographically, the conditions here are very strategic for trading commodities," Assistant for the Economy and Development of Lampung Province Kusnardi stated in Bandarlampung, Friday.
Kusnardi emphasized that corn was one of the region's main commodities for which development can be maximized through food downstreaming.
"Corn is important for downstream processing, especially for animal feed, and it can also be developed into various food products to support food diversification," he affirmed.
According to Kusnardi, several ways to maximize downstream corn commodities are by using good-quality seeds, ensuring balanced fertilization, and conducting proper post-harvest treatment.
"Then, we need to increase production because usually, when corn productivity increases, on the other hand, cassava production decreases because it uses the same land. Hence, there is also a need to expand the planting area to maintain the quality of the corn products we produce," he explained.
Kusnardi remarked that downstreaming would be even better if coupled with the application of technology and marketing as well as maintaining continuity and product quality. With the downstreaming and management of food into derivative products, it will also increase regional economic resilience.
"This production will increase if it is supported by a good ecosystem. If farmers can sell directly to factories without going through collectors, they can get a satisfactory price, and it would be even better if they could directly manage it independently into derivative products," he emphasized.
Based on data from the Lampung Provincial Government, the production of corn, as one of the main food commodities, had reached 3,280,952 tons in 2022 and constituted nine percent of the national corn production.
Several locations that are centers of corn production in Lampung are East Lampung, South Lampung, Central Lampung, North Lampung, and Waykanan.
In detail, corn production from each of the regions in 2022 includes for South Lampung District, totaling 893,897 tons, East Lampung, 1,220,500 tons; Central Lampung District, 582,212 tons; North Lampung, 236,235 tons; and Waykanan, 89,278 tons.
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Translator: Ruth Intan Sozometa, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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