Petrokimia Gresik and PT Sinergi Gula Nusantara (SGN) Boost Mojokerto’s Sugarcane Productivity until 33 percent in Successful "Prosperous Program

Petrokimia Gresik, an Agroindustry Solution company and a member of the Pupuk Indonesia conglomerate, collaborated with PT Sinergi Gula Nusantara (SGN) in the Prosperous Program, successfully increasing sugarcane productivity in Mojokerto by 33 percent. The enhanced harvest results were showcased during the "Harvest and Plant Demonstration Plot (Demplot) of the Prosperous Program" in Jrambe Village, Dlanggu Subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, East Java, on Wednesday (8/9).

Dwi Satriyo Annurogo, CEO of Petrokimia Gresik, expressed that the harvest results from the 2022-2023 Prosperous Program reached 160 tons per hectare, marking a significant 33 percent increase compared to the previous sugarcane farmer productivity of only 120 tons per hectare. Additionally, the sugarcane yield increased from 7.35 percent to 8.5 percent.

"The rise in productivity and yield also increased farmers' income by Rp34 million per hectare, from the previous Rp81 million to Rp115 million per hectare," stated Dwi Satriyo.

He added that this collaboration is an effort by Petrokimia Gresik and stakeholders to improve sugarcane harvests and boost national sugar productivity. According to data from the Directorate General of Agro Industry, Ministry of Industry, there is currently a gap of around 850 thousand tons for consumer sugar and 3.27 million tons for refined sugar. Therefore, collaborative strategies are essential to meet these needs, focusing on the availability of raw materials, in this case, sugarcane.

"Through the Prosperous Program, Petrokimia Gresik, along with all relevant stakeholders, is committed to actively and synergistically supporting increased production and national sugar fulfillment," said Dwi Satriyo.

Meanwhile, Petrokimia Gresik has been assigned by Pupuk Indonesia to implement the Prosperous Program on a 99,000 Ha land. For sugarcane commodities, Petrokimia Gresik's realization, as of July, reached 34,883 Ha. This achievement was partly due to the collaboration with SGN, as seen in Mojokerto.

In addition to SGN, the Prosperous Program in Mojokerto involved several other key stakeholders, such as the Mojokerto Regency Government, Bank BNI, and others. Thus, the Prosperous Program becomes a collaboration among state-owned enterprises (BUMN), an integrated and sustainable ecosystem involving stakeholders in both upstream and downstream agricultural businesses.

Through this program, Petrokimia Gresik guarantees the supply of commercial fertilizer to SGN's sugarcane partner farmers. Furthermore, Petrokimia Gresik has begun providing cultivation assistance, starting from soil testing through the Mobile Soil Testing service, to the provision of pesticides through Petrokimia Gresik's subsidiary for pest and disease control.

At the same event, Mahmudi, Director of Production and Development at Holding Perkebunan Nusantara III (Persero), which oversees SGN, mentioned that they were tasked with taking steps to increase sugar productivity, improve yields, and expand sugarcane plantation areas. These steps require collaboration with various parties to achieve optimal results, one of which is through the Prosperous Program.

"We are delighted that the Prosperous Program, which has been running for two years, offers hope to achieve sugar self-sufficiency," he concluded.

On the other hand, the benefits of the Prosperous Program are directly felt by Jamal (40), a farmer from Rosan Jaya Farmer Group participating in the Prosperous Program in Mojokerto. He acknowledged the convenience in obtaining fertilizer and access to capital.

"The results are satisfying, and we can feel it all — our sugarcane productivity has increased," said Jamal.

Planting Together

On this occasion, sugarcane planting was carried out using Petrokimia Gresik's latest products, ZA Plus and NPK Tebu Kebomas Petro Cane. ZA Plus is Petrokimia Gresik's new commercial product, a ZA fertilizer enriched with an additional micro-nutrient, Zinc, at a concentration of 1,000 ppm.

Meanwhile, Petro Cane is an NPK fertilizer specifically designed for sugarcane plants with an NPK content of 15-10-15, tailored to the needs of sugarcane plants. This fertilizer is also enriched with complete macro and micro-nutrients for sugarcane plant growth. Petro Cane is expected to be a solution and a mainstay for sugarcane farmers to increase production, productivity, and yield.

As an effort to improve fertility and enhance the quality of organic elements in the soil, the planting demonstration also used Petroganik Premium fertilizer, an organic fertilizer with higher quality due to its enriched macro and micro-nutrient content. Thus, the use of Petroganik Premium is expected to optimize the fertilization process.