First publish - 28 September 2017

KLATEN – On 26 September 2017, one of the soybean demonstration plots developed by Business Watch Indonesia became the location for the visit during Farmers Field Day(FFD). FFD is one of the Central Java provincial government’s strategies in bringing together the government and soybean farmers and becomes the forum for sharing of information and feedbacks concerning past and future soybean programs.

The FFD was held in Pakisan village of Cawas sub-district and was attended by the executive boards of farmer groups in Cawas sub-district. Some representatives of the Central Java provincial  Office of Agriculture, Klaten District Office of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Faculty of Agriculture of Sebelas Maret University, and the Sub-District Government Authorities (Muspika) of Cawas also participated in the event.

During the event, the representative of the Central Java Provincial Office of Agriculture indicated that the soybean program in Cawas sub-district in 2018 would cover an area of 1,700 hectares that would include provision of agricultural inputs and equipments.

Karmin, one of the participating farmers, shared his experience in growing soybean on the demonstration plot. He conveyed that intensive treatment during all stages of soybean growth is vital in soybean cultivation. Karmin also shared that seed treatment can improve soybean’s ability to grow, especially after he experienced crop failure due to flooding. Dedy Sukardi, the Head of Pakisan village, confirmed this experience and added that in most cases soybean replanting do not result in yields. The results of the demonstration plots showed otherwise, however. From the demonstration plots, 2.1 tons of soybeans have been produced per hectare.

A number of factors contribute to yield productivity, according to Prof. Supriyono, the consultant for the demonstration plot and also an expert in soybean from Sebelas Maret University (UNS,  Surakarta. The use of good seeds, the right timing for planting, the use of hay mulches, and increased use of organic fertilisers all can contribute to good yields.  Prof. Supriyono also shared his experience in using pest trap in one of the demonstration plots under his facilitation.