Purwakarta – The government continues to strengthen its commitment to achieving national food self-sufficiency by promoting agricultural technology innovation. This effort is not only aimed at increasing productivity and food self-sufficiency but also creating new jobs in the agribusiness sector, from machine operators and technicians to agricultural supply chain managers. Thus, food self-sufficiency also serves as a driving force for improving the welfare of rural communities.
The Purwakarta Regency Government (Pemkab) continues to innovate to increase rice production by utilizing the latest agricultural technology. One breakthrough is the distribution of agricultural tools and machinery (Alsintan) from upstream to downstream to farmers, opening a new chapter for the agricultural sector. This makes the dream of food self-sufficiency in Purwakarta increasingly a reality.
The Ministry of Agriculture is providing support in the form of a modern combine harvester to the Purwakarta Regency Government. Purwakarta Regent Saepul Bahri Binzein, also known as Om Zein, stated that this sophisticated machine can reduce harvesting costs by up to 40 percent and significantly reduce farmers’ workload.
The combine harvester, dubbed the “agricultural transformer,” can perform three tasks simultaneously: cutting, threshing, and winnowing rice in one process. For a hectare of land, this machine only requires 2–3 hours, far more efficient than the manual method, which can take a full day.
“The efficiency is incredible! Harvesting costs can be reduced by half. Furthermore, this is a solution to the challenge of agricultural labor shortages,” said Om Zein.
Om Zein symbolically handed over modern harvesting equipment to the recipient farmer groups. The Purwakarta farmers welcomed the equipment, as it not only lightened their workload but also reduced their historically high production costs.
“With the touch of this agricultural technology, farmers’ welfare will skyrocket because production costs are reduced and harvests are abundant,” said Om Zein.
Meanwhile, the Acting Head of the Purwakarta Agriculture and Food Security Agency, Hadianto Purnama, added that his agency also utilized a combine harvester to harvest the Inpari 49 variety of rice planted on 1.2 hectares of land owned by the district government managed by the Seedlings Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD).
“Thank God, today we harvested using equipment donated by the Ministry of Agriculture. This machine arrived just two months ago, and farmers can borrow it for free!” said Hadi.
Hadi also estimates that the peak harvest in Purwakarta will occur in the second week of September 2025. To date, rice production has reached around 170 tons, and a surplus is guaranteed thanks to increased planting areas and full support from the Ministry of Agriculture.
With the advent of modern agricultural technology, Purwakarta farmers are increasingly optimistic about achieving food self-sufficiency. The combine harvester is not just a harvesting machine, but a symbol of hope and tangible proof that innovation is key to food self-sufficiency and farmer well-being. Purwakarta proves that modern agriculture is the future of Indonesia.
