Iwang, initiator of organic rice in Tanah Bumbu

Tanah Bumbu, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Agricultural consultant in the Sub-district of Kusan Hulu, Iwang, with farmers he guided. (Antaranews Kalsel/special/sjd)

Most of the people of Tanah Bumbu, South Kalimantan, are farmers, and rice is the main commodity for farmers in the district, besides rubber and palm oil.


"We have been developing organic rice plants since a few years ago, by cooperating with farmer groups in Kusan Hulu Subdistrict," said an agricultural consultant in Kusan Hulu, Iwang, in Batulicin.

He said, so far the farmers in Tanah Bumbu, especially in the sub-district of Kusan Hulu, rely on rice plants with seeds of local varieties, and care for plants with all-chemical systems.

Local varieties of rice seeds are quite complex. The yields are not worth the maintenance costs from the planting period to harvest, while the harvest period is quite long.

The rice age from planting until the harvest takes about five months, farmers no longer has time to plant twice a year, as it enters the dry season.

Iwang then provided training for organic rice planting systems to farmers, so they switched to organic systems, not using any chemicals from nurseries to harvesting.

"Initially in developing of organic rice we only tried about a few plots, because many farmers were still in doubt. But after seeing the harvest, they began to believe and many switched to planting rice in organic systems," he recalled.

The advantage of organic rice is that the seeds are more resistant to pests compared to other rice seeds. and the age of the seed with a shorter spacing of about seven days is ready for planting.

The quality of the rice is also getting higher, even the selling value of the harvest is relatively expensive, because the rice does not contain chemicals.

All materials as a treatment for rice use organic materials, starting with fertilizers, plant pest control, caterpillars, mice, weeds and others using organic ingredients from spices around them.

Many farmers are now turning to organic rice. In addition to economical maintenance of the results is quite promising. One hectare can produce six tons of harvest.

Iwang said he would continue to develop this method to other farmer groups in Tanah Bumbu.