REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BOGOR -- Chairman of Forum for Development of Sustainable Strategic Plantations, Ahmad Manggabarani regretted that self sufficiency on sugar in 2014 could not be achieved. Ministry of Agriculture only produces 2.5 million tonnes of domestic sugar out of 5.8 million tonnes of needs this year. 

"Indonesia is so wide. The country has technology, research centers and universities. So, what is the problem? We see that there is a problem in the seeds. Good cultivation practice is also needed in the field," Manggabarani said on Monday. 

Manggabarani hopes that policy makers can together push the achievement of self sufficiency. The organization also tries to maximize the role of agronomists to increase sugarcane productivity in agricultural land. 

Rendemen quality of sugar is low as the management is still not good. Management of sugar planting must be properly well maintained. If sugar productivity reaches four to five tonnes per hectare, then the expansion is needed. 

Sugarcane plantation area in Indonesia is about 400 thousand hectares and the number decreased. There is moratorium of land transformation of sugar cane, but the implementation is not going well. 

To achieve self sufficiency, Manggabarani recommends comprehensive and synergistic policies of all ministries and government agencies. Indonesia has ever managed to meet the needs of sugar consumption by 2.8 million tons in 2008.

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