The Padaidi Farmer Group grows organic rice on 2 hectares of land out of 30 hectares and the rest are still cultivating conventional crops.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — The Padaidi Farmers Group in Teluk Pandan Village, Teluk Pandan District, managed to harvest organic rice from two hectares of land (06/12). Attending the activity, East Kutai Regent Ardiansyah Sulaiman appreciated the Padaidi Farmer Group for cultivating organic farming.
According to Ardiansyah, the rice planting area can be expanded to provide greater value benefits, especially the economic side for the community. The group has a total of 30 hectares of managed land, two hectares for organic cultivation and the rest for conventional cultivation.
“Our farmers have extraordinary planting abilities. But when it has been harvested into rice, they are confused about how to make it into money. We, the government, do not remain silent. Since 2021, the government has tried to help by taking 40 tons of rice from farmers, one of which is from Kaubun District, to be sold to employees within the East Kutai Regency Government,” he explained.
During this harvest season, Ardiansyah wants to do the same by instructing the district government and companies around the farmer’s area to buy the rice they have harvested, including the Padaidi Farmer Group in Teluk Pandan District. He said, “Otherwise, this post-harvest problem will continue to exist and make it difficult for our farmers.”
Meanwhile, the Project Manager of PT Pamapersada Nusantara Dwi Setiono said that the organic rice currently being developed by the Padaidi Farmers Group which is part of the Borneo Organik Sehat Sejahtera (BOSS) farming community is the only one in East Kalimantan and has had organic certification from the Inofice since 2020.
“This product has been able to penetrate the Samarinda, Balikpapan market, and is currently being included in the XVI KTNA National Week which takes place in Padang City, West Sumatra. We hope that this product can continue to be developed throughout Indonesia,” said Dwi.
The leader of the Padaidi Farmer Group, Syahrani hopes that the government will continue to pay attention to farmers. One of them is by helping the marketing of rice which has been a problem faced by farmers. Besides marketing, he hopes that the government will also pay attention to farming roads that are used for agricultural products.
