Holiday Ayo - Member of BUMN Food Holding ID Food, PT Sang Hyang Seri (SHS) intends to make Sukamandi, Subang Regency, West Java the largest seed center in Indonesia.

The company has a total of 3,156 hectares of land where this land is managed by farmers in collaboration with strategic partners.

He explained that currently the company is supported by 42 rice seed factory facilities with a capacity of 136 thousand tons per year. Meanwhile, the national need for rice seeds is 300 thousand tons.

"In Sukamandi we have a gene bank laboratory with more than 1,500 varieties and lines. We are also supported by 42 rice seed factory facilities spread throughout Indonesia, with a capacity of around 136 thousand tons per year, sufficient for almost half of the national rice seed needs which reach 300 thousand tons for 12 million hectares of rice fields," said PT SHS President Director Adhi Cahyono Nugroho as reported by detik.com, Thursday (19/9).

Meanwhile, the Head of the National Food Agency, Arief Prasetyo Adi, emphasized the importance of synergy between upstream and downstream. His party wants to make SHS a national seed center.

"Seed quality and absorption of production results are two inseparable aspects to increase farmers' interest. We want to return SHS as a national seed center. With almost 3,200 hectares, the development potential is very large. Since 1968, Mr. Soeharto has prepared a rice nursery to become PT SHS like now," added Arief.

Secretary General of the Indonesian Farmers' Harmony Association (HKTI) Sadar Subagyo said support for PT SHS and the policy of setting the Government Purchase Price (HPP) would encourage farmers to continue planting rice.

"Good seeds will make farmers optimistic, the right HPP will provide fair profits for farmers," he said.