Agricultural innovation company, Syngenta Indonesia, launched two strategic innovations to support rice farming transformation and strengthen national food self-sufficiency − Rice Cultivation Guidebook and Drone Learning Center − at the company’s Research and Development (R&D) Center in Cikampek, West Java on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

“This guidebook is one of our concrete steps to continuously improve rice productivity in Indonesia,” Eryanto, President Director of Syngenta Indonesia, said.

With Indonesia’s population exceeding 280 million, demand for rice continues to grow, while current national production stands at 34 million tons annually.

The guidebook compiles Syngenta’s field experiences and farmer engagement, covering the full spectrum of rice farming from land preparation and irrigation to seed selection, planting techniques, fertilization, pest control, harvest management, and sustainable practices such as straw composting, biochar, drone applications, and IoT integration.

Eryanto cited that Syngenta’s farmer network, the Komunitas 10 Ton, has already achieved yields above 10 tons per hectare.

Deputy for Food and Agriculture Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs, Widiastuti, praised Syngenta’s contribution.

“Innovations like this is crucial in building food resilience and sovereignty. We hope the guidebook will be widely used by farmers and agricultural extension workers,” she said.

In addition to the guidebook, Syngenta also inaugurated its Drone Learning Center, aimed at enabling farmers to gain hands-on experience in using drones for applying fertilizers and crop protection products more efficiently, reducing costs and time, while minimizing environmental impact.

Over 700 rice farmers from Syngenta’s Komunitas 10 Ton across West, Central, and East Java attended the launch event. They welcomed the initiative, noting its practical benefits.

“The guidebook is very useful for rice planting, and today we learned how drones can save time in applications,” Rokim, Head of Karawang chapter of Komunitas 10 Ton, said.

The launch also marked Syngenta Indonesia’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The company announced that it will introduce Ningrat (NK2133) hybrid rice seeds and inaugurate a quarantine laboratory in Pasuruan, East Java, on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Eryanto expressed appreciation for strong collaboration between the government, the private sector, and farmers in driving sustainable agricultural modernization, aligned with its Syngenta’s Petani MAJU (Advanced Farmers) vision.