Dili, May 15, 2024 - PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) actively participates in creating food security in the ASEAN region. This was marked by the implementation of a harvest festival from the demonstration plot (demplot) of rice in three locations in Timor-Leste on Tuesday (5/14/2024).

Pupuk Indonesia, through its subsidiary Petrokimia Gresik, has conducted demplots in Timor-Leste covering a total area of ​​13 hectares (Ha). Details are, in the cities of Baucau and Maliana, demplots were each conducted on 1.5 Ha of land, while in the city of Suay, a demplot was held on 10 Ha of land.

"This harvest festival is evidence of Pupuk Indonesia's commitment to the development of the agricultural sector in Timor-Leste. Agriculture is the backbone of Timor-Leste's economy, providing employment and livelihoods for a significant portion of its population. This is an important source of food security and availability for the people of Timor-Leste," said Deputy CEO of Pupuk Indonesia, Gusrizal.

He mentioned that Pupuk Indonesia, along with its two subsidiaries, Petrokimia Gresik and PT Petrosida Gresik, have collaborated with the Government of Timor-Leste to provide farmers with access to high-quality fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.

"This partnership has made significant contributions to increasing agricultural productivity in Timor-Leste, which ultimately has a direct impact on ASEAN regional food security," Gusrizal emphasized.

Pupuk Indonesia also encourages further cooperation between the Government of Timor-Leste and the Government of Indonesia in the agricultural sector for food security and economic growth in both countries.

"Both countries have rich agricultural heritage and shared goals. I believe there is great potential for cooperation in various areas including research and development, technology transfer, and market access, which will bring various benefits and enhance the economic growth of both countries," said Gusrizal.

Meanwhile, the President Director of Petrokimia Gresik, Dwi Satriyo Annurogo, added that as part of Pupuk Indonesia, Petrokimia Gresik is committed to supporting agricultural progress not only in Indonesia but also in neighboring countries, including Timor-Leste. The demplots in Timor-Leste apply a balanced fertilization pattern of 5:3:2 as has been implemented by Petrokimia Gresik in several regions.

This means for fertilizing one hectare of rice fields, 500 kg of organic fertilizer, 300 kg of NPK, and 200 kg of ZA are used. These demplots are also accompanied by pest control using pesticides produced by Petrokimia Gresik through its subsidiary, Petrosida Gresik.

"Petrokimia Gresik also has several agricultural technologies that allow fertilization to be done accurately and adjusted to the needs of the plants or precision for optimal results. Thus, agricultural productivity in Timor-Leste can continue to be improved," he concluded.

As is known, Pupuk Indonesia is the largest fertilizer producer in Asia with a total fertilizer production capacity of 14.61 million tons per year. This consists of 9.36 million tons of Urea fertilizer, 3.98 million tons of NPK fertilizer, 500 thousand tons of SP-36, 750 thousand tons of ZA, and 20 thousand tons of ZK.

Pupuk Indonesia also produces pesticides through Petrosida Gresik with production capacities of 6,600 tons/year for insecticides, 16,200 tons for herbicides, 2,000 tons for fungicides, 1,800 tons for plant growth regulators (ZPT), and 19,175 tons for Organic Fertilizer.