The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture or Ministry of Agriculture guarantees that domestic corn production is able to stabilize the need for animal feed ingredients. The national corn production figure that was achieved was a surplus, even though the production conditions in some areas were not balanced between production and demand. Director of Food Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mohammad Ismail Wahab, added that efforts to increase corn production were carried out by expanding the planting area, PIP, intercropping, regional development and farmer corporations. Farmers who have received assistance are directed to access the cluster/corporate KUR pattern with an avalist/offtaker to grow and strengthen the Farmer Corporation through strategic partnerships, product processing and market development.
"Then from downstream, local food is processed, so that national corn needs can be fulfilled," he said in the Propaktani Technical Guidance and Socialization (BTS) Episode 404 with the theme Availability of Domestic Corn and Stability of Animal Feed Supply to Support Food Security, Tuesday (5/05/2020). 4/2022). This is the Ministry of Agriculture's press release to Tribun-Timur.com Professor of the University of Lampung and the general chairman of PERHEPI, Bustanul Arifin, explained that carrying out a production activity alone is not enough. There needs to be integration with animal feed needs which are also the responsibility of human beings. existing agriculture.
In terms of use, he continued, the need for animal feed is intended for large and medium-sized companies, then the rest are small farmers. There are more small farmers in Blitar, East Java, so there is not enough corn because the people of Blitar sometimes need corn from other areas. "We still have a problem that the price of corn which is an agreement between farmers and breeders only applies for a moment when prices are very high, after that corn prices return to normal. Farmers are still complaining about this," he explained.
Head of PERHEPI Gorontalo Commissariat, Asda Rauf, said that corn production was unstable due to several obstacles. For example, limited capital ownership so that farmers are burdened with these costs, weak farmer institutions so that they do not play a role in groups, the unavailability of a corn marketing information system that has an impact on price information. Also the requirements in marketing corn are constrained by the water content which is very much determined by the traders so that it has an impact on the low price received. “It is important to strengthen farmer groups, both farmer groups and farmer groups, so that farmers' access to production inputs, access to capital and marketing of produce is easier. The importance of evaluation and monitoring of corn marketing so that there are sanctions for marketing actors," Asda said. Director General of Food Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi said, his party is committed to prioritizing community farmer centers so that they are sufficient for the surrounding area. Mapping has been carried out in this maize crop, in where the corn center has been described. "So the main areas and development areas are known. So we will focus on that area. The area has different breakthroughs according to the specific location," said Suwandi.
Kelvin added, related to its utilization, corn production is not only used for animal feed. His party has substituted corn for industrial needs. "Especially products with low content of aflatoxin, gluten, sweetener and the like," he emphasized. INDEF economist, Tauhid Ahmad assesses that anticipating fluctuations in corn prices can be done by improving quality. That way, prices can be competitive and still profitable for farmers. "Then we can promote the construction of corn dryers to maximize crop yields that can act as a buffer stock," said Taufik. It should be noted, based on the calculation data from the National Food Agency, the performance of corn production during 2021 from January to December reached 15.7 million tons. The national demand for corn is 14.3 million tons, so last year's balance was a surplus of 1.4 million tons.
