Farmers Delay Planting as Local Administration Readies Biostimulants

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

Month-old paddies grow in a rice field in Jambesari village, Banyuwangi, East Java, as seen on 11 Oct. 2019.

BANYUWANGI, KOMPAS – Most farmers in Banyuwangi regency, East Java, are continuing to experience a shortage of subsidized fertilizers. As a result, a number of farmers have delayed planting while others have decided to proceed with planting and leave the plants untreated.

The Banyuwangi Agriculture Office attributed the shortage of subsidized fertilizers to the central government’s move to slash the distribution of subsidized fertilizers. To offset the shortage of fertilizer, the Banyuwangi administration had readied biostimulants, a type of water-soluble organic fertilizer, for distributing to farmers.

Chairman Umar Said of the Kampung Anyar Farmers Group in Glagah district, Banyuwangi, said on Thursday (1/10/2020) that he had decided to delay planting due to a shortage of subsidized fertilizers, and because he could not afford nonsubsidized fertilizers.

Also read: Farmers Hard Hit by Pandemic

"I can do nothing. I have a one-hectare rice farm, most of which I have left uncultivated. I used the rest of the field to plant sweet potatoes," he said.

Umar said he was dependent on subsidized fertilizers from the government. He was reluctant to buy nonsubsidized fertilizers, which were much more expensive. He was also reluctant to use organic fertilizers, as plants absorbed their nutritional content at a much slower rate.

I can do nothing. I have a one-hectare rice farm, most of which I have left uncultivated. I used the rest of the field to plant sweet potatoes.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

A farmer checks rice ready for harvest in Jambesari Village, Banyuwangi, Friday (11/10/2019).

Based on the fertilizer quota for individual farmers in the electronic Definitive Plan for Group Needs (e-RDKK), Umar was allotted 5 quintals of a fertilizer mix containing urea, NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), ZA fertilizer (ammonium sulfate) and organic fertilizer. However, has never been able to fill his quota for subsidized fertilizer.

"I have never been able to use any of [my] quota for subsidized fertilizers. Whenever I need subsidized fertilizer, the [agriculture] kiosk is out of stock. [They] offered me nonsubsidized fertilizer to buy. Obviously, I rejected the offer because the price was [too] high," he said.

Ahmad Jamali, the head of the Murni Farmers Group in Wongsorejo district, also had a similar experience. The farmer grows cabai rawit (Capsicum Frutescens L., a type of bird’s eye chili pepper), bus has left his three-month old crop unfertilized.

What can I do? I can\'t afford nonsubsidized fertilizer.

Also read: Farmers Left Vulnerable

"Actually, I need fertilizer for [my] crop. What can I do? I can\'t afford nonsubsidized fertilizer. Yes, I’m leaving it be. It’s certain that production will be a mess,” he said.

Echoing Umar, Ahmad also complained about the high price of nonsubsidized fertilizers. To compare, he said that subsidized urea sold for Rp 180,000 per quintal, while nonsubsidized urea sold for Rp 540,000 per quintal.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

A farmer weeds a paddy field on 11 Oct. 2019 in Jambesari village of Banyuwangi, East Java.

Ahmad also admitted that he was reluctant to use organic fertilizers because they took much longer before they could be used. He needed fertilizers that could be used straight away.

"Organic fertilizers are good, but it’s not that easy for those of us who are used to using chemical fertilizers to suddenly switch to organic fertilizers. Preparing the materials and plants takes time, not just a day or two," he said.

Also read: Those Who Don’t Bow to the Market

Assistance for organic fertilizers is indeed one of the solutions that the Banyuwangi Agriculture Office is offering, in the form of biostimulants.

"We have prepared organic fertilizer [in the form of] biostimulants for 200 hectares per village. It is hoped that this assistance can be a temporary solution amidst the shortage of [subsidized] fertilizers," said Ahmad Khoiri, who heads the Food Crops division of the Banyuwangi Agriculture Office.

Another measure the office is making is to add a budget item for subsidized fertilizer in the revised Regional Budget (APBD), on the expectations that the revised APBD can cover the need for fertilizer among local farmers.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

A farmer stands amid golden stalks of rice while weeding a paddy field on 11 Oct. 2019 in Jambesari village in Banyuwangi, East Java.

Khoiri admitted that subsidized fertilizers were in short supply. The shortage had occurred because of a central government policy that cut the budget allocation for subsidized fertilizers. As a result, the subsidized fertilizer allocation for Banyuwangi had decreased by 64 percent.

“In the e-RDKK dated 25 July 2020, we submitted a proposal for 63,372 tons of urea, 31,596 tons of ZA [fertilizer], 30,9094 tons of SP-36 [phosphorus], 67,932 tons of NPK, and 41,825 tons of organic fertilizer. But Banyuwangi received only 31,688 tons of urea, 21,834 tons of ZA, 9,869 tons of SP36 and 24,082 tons of organic fertilizer," he said.

Also read: The road of Life for Farmers

According to the Banyuwangi Agriculture Office’s data as of 4 Sept., the market supply of fertilizer consisted of only 88 tons of urea, 1,326 tons of ZA, 212 tons of SP-36, 11,952 tons of NPK and 986 tons of organic fertilizer. Khoiri suspected that the stock had either decreased drastically or been depleted since then.

"The latest data on the fertilizer supply will be available only on 4 October. Maybe it has already run out by now. It is true that subsidized fertilizers are scarce. But it is not true that subsidized fertilizers are becoming more expensive," he said.

Khoiri expressed confidence that the price of subsidized fertilizer would not increase, because the ceiling price for retail fertilizer was regulated under Agriculture Ministerial Regulation No. 10/2020. He called on farmers to report to the Banyuwangi Agriculture Office if they discovered anyone selling subsidized fertilizer above the retail price cap.