Corn imports 100,000 are very small – FAJAR –

(Ministry of Agriculture) guarantee the safety of national corn production. Import news of 100,000 imports is a very small amount and is not related to the badumption that our domestic corn production is in short supply.

Observers who question the very small imports, even though Indonesia has a surplus and has even exported hundreds of thousands of tons of corn to various countries, have been "blind" and have a very strong understanding narrow existing problems.

At present, Indonesia is experiencing a surplus of maize and has even exported corn to various countries. Imports of maize should not really remind us that the quantity is very small (100,000) in relation to the amount of exports made.

Even in this case, this import is not related to production problems, but rather to the problem of the unequal distribution of maize. There are very abundant areas and others rare. With regard to this problem of unequal distribution, the import policy has been forced.

But why is the Ministry of Agriculture still the target of criticism? Because observers usually see this problem very simply and use the logic of superficial causality. The badumption is that if Indonesia imports, its total food production must be in deficit. Even though this badumption is very artificial in our national food system, apart from production, there is a distribution, a market, and so on.

With regard to maize production, data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) provided official information. BPS concluded that the production and supply of maize in 2018 had a surplus of 12 million tons of PK. Indonesia has stopped importing maize in the past three years, or 3.5 million tonnes a year, saving $ 10 trillion in foreign currency. Even in 2018, until October, Indonesia exported 370,000 tons of maize to neighboring countries.

The Food Crops Directorate's calculation concludes that the area planted in June-September 2018 reaches an area of ​​1,318,284 hectares, with an estimated harvest of 1,263,170 hectares in September-December. According to these calculations, it is estimated that the production will be 7.18 million tons of PK.

In terms of consumption, it is estimated that during this month, needs will reach 5.13 million tons of dry carrot rice (PK) composed of direct consumption, feed industry, farmers in layers, other food industries and seed production. This means that there is still a surplus of 2.05 million tons of KP in September-December. This situation shows that maize supply in the country will remain safe until the end of the year.

The oversight of the Ministry of Agriculture in the field of large farms has begun to take place in various regions, including Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi, West Java and Gorontalo. In fact, a study conducted in early September at the Food Working Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce showed that harvests had begun to occur in large numbers in the United States. regencies of Bantaeng and Jeneponto. Total production in September in South Sulawesi is 87,000 tonnes. While in East Java from October to November, the maize crop reached 79,000 ha and 111,000 ha respectively. Total production in East Java over the next two months is expected to reach 320 000 tonnes and 699 000 tonnes.

In fact, corn harvesting and production last all year round. The annual cycle of maize production shows that the peak of the main harvest occurs in February-April, the peak of the second harvest in July-August and the peak of the third harvest in early October-December. "The monitoring of the Food Crops Branch team shows that the maize crop will increase again from October to early December, the peak of this year's third crop. of Agriculture also use drones to be fully mapped in the extension of maize plantations.

The amount of maize produced is also related to the allocation of 2.8 million hectares of high quality corn seed. Until August, maize plantations reached 3.02 million hectares, of which 16.61% were part of the badistance programs of the Ministry of Agriculture. The current drought is not an obstacle for maize plantations, as the concentration of plantations is currently on old fields that still have enough moisture to sow maize.

Bridging price disparities
The price of corn in the fields is not as high as that reported. According to information provided by the director of food processing and marketing at Gatut Sumbogodjati, the price of corn this month was only about 3,695 rupees, there is even 3 months.

The price of corn, which has increased in recent years, has been evaluated not for lack of stock. Due to farmer price, coupled with processing costs and a 15% reduction in drying weight, maize prices for end-users do not exceed 4,250 rupees per kg. This shows the price disparity between farmers and the industry, sign of the need to improve maize supply chains.

The maize issue is not just a question of production. Why, at high prices, many complain about production problems. Although the data clearly show that our production is surplus. The issue of connectivity of production centers to maize users should be emphasized in only a few provinces.

To remedy this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture has taken the initiative to provide 1,000 dryers for post-harvest processing, so that maize can be stored and transported properly, so as to minimize disparities of price. In Indonesia, the drying capacity of the animal feed industry is still low as some still have no dryer or sufficiently large storage space.

The Ministry of Agriculture will always help the animal feed industry or other users who are having trouble finding maize. Users who have difficulty in obtaining maize can contact directly the Directorate of Cereals of the Ministry of Agriculture. In the long term, the Ministry of Agriculture has declared itself ready to contribute to the establishment of a business-to-business partnership between the feed industry and the Joint Farmers Group ( Gapoktan) so that the industry gets the corn according to the desired specifications and its guaranteed supply.

Dr. Ir. Sumardjo Gatot Irianto, MS. DAA

Director General of Food Crops Ministry of Agriculture