The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) continues to strive to increase rice production to ensure the availability of national rice sovereignty. One of the breakthroughs currently being made by the Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, is through a rice cropping pattern with a cropping index (IP) of 400 which is managed in an area cluster based on farmer corporations.
Director General of Food Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi, revealed that the application of the IP 400 rice cropping pattern is one of the steps to increase production so that domestic rice availability can actually be fulfilled by itself, even if the surplus can be exported. IP 400 is a method of planting and harvesting four times a year on the same land."What is the goal? Increasing the planting area and production for food security, increasing farmers' income and at the same time reducing the planting area due to the conversion of paddy fields," said Suwandi in a written statement, Friday (1/1/2021).
He explained, ideally the IP400 should be developed in technically irrigated rice fields with water availability throughout the year, not a pest endemic area and a fairly uniform paddy field. Can it work? The key to success is in water, mechanization and the use of early and super early age seeds with outside nurseries (kidnap, dapog, tray system).Several early maturity rice varieties such as Silugongo were harvested at 80 to 90 days after seeding (HSS), Dodokan (100 HSS), Inpari 12 (99 HSS), Inpari 13 (99HSS), Inpari 11 (105 HSS), Inpari 18 (102 HSS) ), Inpari 19 (103 HSS), Inpari 20 (104 HSS), Inpari Sidenuk (103 HSS), Inpari Pajajaran (105 HSS) and Inpari Cakrabuana (105 HSS). With the technique of planting seeds outside the planting area aged 15 to 25 HSS and planted immediately, it means that the harvest time is faster calculated from the day after planting (DAS). "The use of organic fertilizers and the gradual reduction of chemical fertilizers, integrated pest control, short and efficient crop and harvest management, 5 to 10 days with mechanization," he explained.
As an example of planting time management, Suwandi said that IP400 is one of the farmers in the Mlale Village Farmers Group Association (Gapoktan), Jenar District, Sragen Regency. In the first planting season (MT-1) planted on November 20 and harvested at 90 DAS on February 17. At MT-2 planted on February 22 and harvested at 85 DAS on May 16. On MT-3 planted May 21 and harvested at 90 DAS on August 18. Furthermore, MT-4 was planted on August 30 and harvested at 85 DAS on November 22. "The time lag from harvest to planting is only 5 to 10 days, so it is necessary to mechanize the planting speed using a tractor and harvest with a combine harvester and the land is given straw and shank decomposer material," he said.
Furthermore, Suwandi explained that the selected land area is relatively free from endemic plant-disturbing organisms and a rice cropping pattern can be applied three times interspersed with crops or specific patterns according to local conditions. Rainfed dry land can also be applied through the use of integrated farming wells / reservoirs / pumps where water use is used for various activities of farming, fish, catfish, vegetables, rice, so that no waste is wasted (zero waste). Therefore, Suwandi emphasized that the application of IP 400 directly increases the planting area of rice so that the rice production target in the first planting season (MT I) October 2020 - March 2021, which at least covers an area of 8.2 million hectares (ha) can be achieved. As a result, rice stocks in early January 2021 reached 6 to 7 million tons. "Production from January to June 2021 was 18.5 million tons, while the level of rice consumption from January to June 2021 was 15 million tons, so that at the end of June 2021 the rice stock was around 9.5 to 10.5 million tons," he said.
Suwandi said the IP400 certainly supports the government's efforts to increase food production, especially rice, through food estates and regional cluster-based cultivation. Besides stimulating government assistance, farmers / farmer groups must be able to access People's Business Credit (KUR) for cultivation and downstream / processing so that they can provide added value."Of course, it must be managed professionally through farmer corporations. Very positive responses have been proposals for 6,582 hectares from 116 districts and 21 provinces, even Subang, Brebes, Sragen, Mempawah and others have started planting IP400 in November 2020," he said.
Previously, the Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo (Mentan SYL) said that he had implemented various breakthroughs to continue to spur food production, especially rice as a strategic commodity. Expanding the planting area in a number of areas and still applying the IP400 rice cropping pattern. "We are making additional steps and expanding the planting area in 2021. Even tomorrow we will enter NTT and Maluku. Apart from that we also have a program to strengthen local food diversification," he said.
Source: https://www.liputan6.com/bisnis/read/4446974/kementan-tingkatkan-produksi-padi-lewat-ip-400-apa-itu
