Enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural commodities is a key agenda for ensuring food security for the Indonesian population. The nutritional quality of crops plays a crucial role in determining the quality of Indonesia's leading agricultural products such as corn, rice, and oil palm. For instance, potassium (K) deficiency in oil palm plants is known to specifically hinder the productivity of this key national commodity, which in turn can potentially impede national economic growth and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
This important finding was presented during a roundtable discussion. the Round Table Discussion on Balanced Nutrition for Rice, Jagung, and Oil Palm which was organized by the Research Center for Climate Change, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI), and The University of Nebraska–Lincoln – Global Yield Gap Atlas Project (GYGA), in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
“The Roundtable Discussion highlighted the urgent need for a collective initiative from relevant stakeholders to redirect research and agricultural extension programs, while also refining the fertilizer subsidy program to ensure adequate and balanced nutrition for smallholder farmers' rice, corn, and oil palm crops,” said Prof. Dr. Jatna Supriatna, M.Sc., Professor of Biology at FMIPA UI and senior researcher at RCCC FMIPA UI.
The GYGA team, led by Professor Patricio Grassini, together with Indonesian partners from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (IOPRI), has conducted a research project to identify the key constraints to yield potential in Indonesia for rice, corn, and oil palm on smallholder farms. Research on rice and corn began in 2015, while research on oil palm started in early 2018 and continued through 2023.
The research team led by the University of Nebraska, in collaboration with local partners from BRIN, PPKS, and UI, identified that one of the key yield constraints on smallholder farms is poor and unbalanced crop nutrition. The team attributed this issue to several factors, including farmers' limited knowledge about appropriate fertilizer sources, difficulties in accessing fertilizers, and the low purchasing power of farmers to afford them.
“The main finding of this research project is that potassium (K) is a limiting factor for crop yields on most smallholder farms for rice, corn, and oil palm in Indonesia,” he added.
The roundtable discussion held in Jakarta served as a starting point to establish a joint initiative between the University of Nebraska–GYGA, Universitas Indonesia, Pupuk Indonesia, BRIN, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (PPKS), and the Ministry of Agriculture to address the issue of nutrient imbalances in rice, corn, and oil palm in Indonesia.
Key stakeholders present at the discussion agreed to share the main findings from the research project conducted in Indonesia from 2015 to 2023. During the discussion, participants explored mechanisms for ensuring proper nutrient supply for rice, corn, and oil palm fields in Indonesia and worked on a solution-oriented agenda, such as identifying strategic actions that could positively impact smallholder farmers by improving crop nutrition through fertilizers.
It was decided during the discussion that the next step would be to issue a consensus document signed by the participants. The consensus document is intended for government leaders responsible for adjusting the fertilizer subsidy program approach to meet the needs of crops, especially oil palm, in order to fully intensify yields, particularly during critical periods.
