Minister Of Agriculture Reviews Program Readiness "Smart Precision Farming" Initiation Of Petrokimia Gresik

Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) reviewed the readiness of the "Smart Precision Farming" program initiated by Petrokimia Gresik, an Agroindustrial Solutions company and holding member of the Pupuk Indonesia, to prepare for the future of Indonesian agriculture, in Gresik, East Java, Tuesday (30/5).

Minister of Agriculture SYL in his direction said that agriculture is the resource that is currently most ready to support the country to be stronger and prosperous. Moreover, agriculture is also in direct contact with the community which can have a positive impact on the economy and other sectors.

"Then Petrokimia Gresik becomes very important for this Republic. Petrokimia Gresik became the main force. But we can't farm like yesterday, really lagging. The fare can be expensive, but the results are simple," said Minister SYL.

For this reason, he appreciated the Smart Precision Farming program initiated by Petrokimia Gresik for better Indonesian agriculture. "Petrokimia must not be inferior to others. If nationally yes (advanced), but we also have to see how Thailand progresses, and how India progresses. Fortunately, today we see Smart Precision Farming," said Minister SYL.

Responding to the direction of the Minister of Agriculture SYL, President Director of Petrokimia Gresik, Dwi Satriyo Annurogo explained, that the "Smart Precision Farming" program will later be carried out by developing new technology in Indonesian agriculture, such as The use of fertilizer products with nanotechnology, as well as the use of drones for fertilization and monitoring plant growth.

"This nanotechnology of Petrokimia Gresik fertilizer will later be the first produced by Indonesian fertilizer producers. We will launch this fertilizer on the 51st anniversary of Petrokimia Gresik and has several advantages, including a much more effective and efficient application. Meanwhile, we will continue to develop and prepare Smart Precision Farming properly so that it can be implemented immediately," he explained.

This nanotechnology fertilizer will later be applied to agricultural land using drones which some time ago have been tested by Petrokimia Gresik. The use of drones for fertilization will save production costs for farmers, where one of the expensive cost items in agricultural cultivation is labor. While drones are operated by one person and can reach up to 20 hectares of land every day.

This drone has been equipped with a plant condition detection device, if there are plants that lack fertilizer, they will increase the dose of fertilizer accordingly. Conversely, if the plant is fertile, the dose of fertilizer will also be reduced, so that the fertilization is more precise.

Petrokimia Gresik currently has two drones, and there will be an addition of up to 100 drones. It is hoped that in each area there will be a drone squadron whose work is to equip the Petrokimia Gresik Land Test Car (MUT) and travel throughout Indonesia.

In addition, this drone can also capture geospatial so that it can see the condition of cultivated plants, whether they thrive or vice versa. The results of this capture can also be connected to satellites so that the scale-up can be used for Indonesian agriculture, where the results of this capture can provide data on planting areas that are in the country.

"This is an innovation from Insan Petrokimia Gresik to contribute to the progress of agriculture in Indonesia in the future," he said.

Finally, Dwi Satriyo also said, that "Smart Precision Farming" is a means to further increase the interest of the younger generation in the agricultural sector. Considering that the younger generation is synonymous with technology and everything practical. "This is a breath of fresh air for Indonesia's agricultural sector that we must continue to encourage with technological advances," he concluded.