The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) continues to encourage the use of organic fertilizers among farmers. This is to improve the quality of agricultural land in Indonesia. Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo said the use of organic fertilizers was a solution for the rehabilitation of agricultural land. At the same time, reducing land degradation or degradation. “Organic fertilizers can improve soil structure, strengthen the binding capacity of soil aggregates (nutrients), increase water resistance and absorption, and improve drainage and pores in the soil. Besides that, it also provides plant nutrients," said Minister of Agriculture Syahrul in a written statement, Monday, June 27, 2022.
According to him, the excessive and continuous use of inorganic fertilizers causes a decrease in the quality of land in Indonesia. Thus, the organic matter content of rice fields is less than 2 percent and makes soil fertility decrease. Syahrul realized programs to accelerate the use of organic fertilizers among farmers. The Minister of Agriculture mobilized the Organic Fertilizer Processing Unit (UPPO) and organic fertilizer assistance. According to him, the UPPO program is effective in accelerating the development of organic fertilizer application at the farmer level. Thus, farmers can independently produce organic fertilizers to increase agricultural production. In addition, the UPPO program is expected to increase farm cost efficiency and optimize the use of manure. "Of course the hope is that this can increase the use of organic fertilizers at the farmer level, increase the optimization of the use of organic fertilizers, increase productivity and quality of production, and reduce farming costs as a result of the efficiency of fertilizer use," said Minister of Agriculture SYL. Even so, the Ministry of Agriculture does not mean to encourage the substitution of chemical fertilizers to organic fertilizers in total. Therefore, farmers' intake of fertilizer must be balanced, so that the land is healthy and production increases.
"We encourage the use of fertilizers in a balanced manner because the nutrients needed by plants are also in inorganic fertilizers. So, both must be balanced," he stressed. Director of Fertilizer and Pesticides at the Directorate General of PSP of the Ministry of Agriculture, Muhammad Hatta, said the Ministry of Agriculture fully supports the use of organic fertilizers through the UPPO program. He said that UPPO assistance can help farmers produce manure independently. "The need for manure or compost is always increasing every year, the facilitation of UPPO assistance is to help farmer groups meet their organic fertilizer needs," he said.
