Bayer is investing a minimum of 1.5 million euros or at least IDR 25 billion in a 9-hectare agricultural research center in Juwiring, Klaten. The facility, named Bayer JUARA (Juwiring Agriculture Research and Academy), is the second-largest agricultural research and development center for Bayer in Southeast Asia, officially inaugurated on August 15, 2023. The investment covers the construction cost of the facility, excluding daily operational expenses and employee salaries. JUARA, situated on leased land from local farmers, engages 42 contracted farmers for the 9-hectare area. The workforce, consisting of 25 individuals daily from the local community (excluding security personnel), conducts research and development activities. The center serves as a platform for conducting 200 technology trials annually, evaluating agricultural technologies such as biotechnological corn seeds and biological products. Due to the experimental nature of the farming results, a significant portion of the harvest is destroyed, with the research facility serving the purpose of managing and determining which yields can be shared with the surrounding agricultural community.
Nico Alfredo, Senior Field Agronomist at PT Bayer Indonesia, emphasizes the necessity of the research center in regulating harvest outcomes. Additionally, Laksmi Prasvita, Head of Communications, Public Affairs, Science & Sustainability at Bayer Indonesia, highlights the anticipation among farmers, particularly the younger generation, for various agricultural technologies and innovations. Despite the introduction of first-generation biotechnology in Indonesia, there is a lag compared to countries like Brazil, which is already familiar with fourth-generation biotechnology. Prasvita underscores the potential for Indonesia to reduce soybean and corn imports through the adoption of available technologies, emphasizing the need for collaboration with the government to expedite the introduction of technology for the progress of Indonesian agriculture, as advocated by the younger farming community.
