Acting Agriculture Minister Arief Prasetyo Adi said on Tuesday that his ministry is continuing to foster collaborations with other relevant ministries and agencies to ensure a continuous enhancement of domestic harvests, including horticultural and food crops, plantations, and livestock production.
"We have proposed a collaboration with BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency) to enhance agricultural quality in Indonesia, so that starting from today, we are seeking various forms of assistance from BRIN in research innovations," he told the press in Jakarta.
He made the statement after attending the signing of a memorandum of understanding between his ministry and BRIN focusing on synergy in the implementation of research and innovation in supporting agricultural development.
Adi noted that one form of assistance involving research innovations aimed at increasing rice yields, with a target of achieving 10-12 tons per hectare from the previous yield of 5.24 tons per hectare.
Another form of assistance is related to the provision of a range of superior seeds tailored to the specific characteristics of the planting location.
Adi also cited an example of assistance involving research innovations in animal husbandry, which can accelerate livestock growth by improving feed quality, potentially achieving an average daily gain (ADG) 1.5 kilograms per day in most livestock.
He also stated that the Agriculture Ministry and BRIN had started discussions on post-harvest technology research innovations.
This is aimed at enhancing the quality of the harvested products throughout the distribution process to reduce waste and to prevent sharp declines in selling prices.
"We are also beginning to explore technologies that can reduce food loss and waste from domestic production, which currently stands at 31 percent per year," he noted.
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Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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