Petrokimia Gresik Promotes New Standardization of Organic Fertilizers

PRESS CONFERENCE

PETROKIMIA GRESIK IS SOCIALIZING

THE NEW STANDARDIZATION OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

Event : "Socialization of Implementation of Permentan No.1 Year 2019 and SNI 7763:2018

(Solid Organic Fertilizers) "

Location : Gresik, East Java

Day / Date : Tuesday, May 7th, 2019

PT Petrokimia Gresik (PG), a subsidiary of PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), socialized the regulation of Minister of Agriculture (Permentan) No.1 Year 2019 concerning the Registration of Organic Fertilizers, Biological Fertilizers, and Soil Enhancers to the production partners of Petroganik subsidized organic fertilizers in Gresik, East Java, Tuesday (7/5).

Expert Staff of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Pending Dadih Permana, said that the latest regulation provides standards for the quality of organic fertilizers, biological fertilizers, and soil enhancers. This will be very important considering the increasing quality demands of organic fertilizers are inevitable.

"The use of organic fertilizers is increasingly demanded. Due to most of rice fields, particularly in Java island, which become the main agricultural commodities in Indonesia, have C/N Ratio (carbon ratio of nitrogen in substances, red) below the standards, therefore enhancement with organic fertilizers is needed. This thing must be understood by farmers", Dadih said.

Furthermore, Dadih explained, Petroganik as organic fertilizers has three important benefits. First, improving the structure and arrangement of soil air, so that nutrients absorption by the roots becomes better. Second, increasing the groundwater buffering capacity, yielding a better groundwater availability. And third, as soil nutrient buffers, so that fertilization becomes more efficient.

For those reasons, he hopes PG Petroganik Partners run the Permentan 01/2019 well, so that the products are in accordance with the standards and provide benefits to the crops productivity. In its implementation, Ministry of Agriculture also accommodates the Indonesian National Standards (SNI) 7763:2018.

Meanwhile, PG Marketing Director, Meinu Sadariyo added, this Permentan updates the previous regulation, Permentan No.70 Year 2011. This revision is aimed to facilitate in maintaining the quality of organic fertilizers, including Petroganik.

He said he was grateful for PG Petroganik production and sales in 2018 which increased compared to 2017. Where Petroganik procurement in 2018 was up 28% and sales increased 16%. Whereas for Petroganik uptake in 2018 was amounting to 680,933 tons. Meinu hopes that this 2019 achievement can grow even better.

Accordingly, Meinu hopes Petroganik Partners always maintain the quality as the newest regulation issued and helps socialize the 5:3:2 balanced fertilization to farmers, which is 500kg use of Petroganik organic fertilizer, 300kg use of NPK Phonska fertilizer, and 200kg use of Urea fertilizer for each hectare of rice fields. Balanced fertilization is a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers.

"Since farmers don't understand much about the benefits of organic fertilizer, we must maintain the quality of Petroganik, hence, when they want to try applying the balanced fertilization, will (they) get its benefits", Meinu said.

In 2019, PG has 152 Petroganik Partners spread in various regions. Most of them concentrate in East Java, which are as many as 84 partners. This partnership pattern was formed aiming to ease the access to raw materials, as well as facilitating the handling and distribution of finished products to Buffer Warehouse and distributors.

Martin Liando, a PG Petroganik Partner from Lumajang, East Java, welcomed the Agriculture Ministry Regulation No.1/2019. He stated that this new regulation contains rules for production partners, like himself, in producing Petroganik organic fertilizer.

"With this new regulation, the quality of Petrogranik fertilizers will be more guaranteed. Farmers will be easier to understand the benefits, hence the application of Petroganik fertilizers is expected to increase", he said.

PG strongly supports the government's efforts in campaigning the organic fertilizers application to farmers. This is solution in maintaining the environmental preservation and agricultural sustainability.

"Therefore, this is in line company’s business transformation and goals to become fertilizer producers as solutions for the agricultural sector and agro-industry in general", Meinu concluded.

PT Petrokimia Gresik

Yusuf Wibisono

Corporate Secretary

For further information contact:

Corporate Secretary: Yusuf Wibisono

Office: (031) 3981811, Ext. 2218

Mobile: 0811 378 571

Email:

wibisono@petrokimia-gresik.com

yusufwibie@gmail.com