Controlled US, 'miracle' plant can make Indonesia self-sufficient in food and energy

Controlled US, 'miracle' plant can make Indonesia self-sufficient in food and energy

Foto: tanaman. pangan.go.id

HOLIDAY NEWS - Sorghum is considered a "miracle" plant. It is believed that these cereal crops can solve two important problems in Indonesia, namely energy self-sufficiency and food self-sufficiency. 

Sorghum can replace the role of fuel oil (BBM). Currently Pertamina (Persero) is trying to increase the use of sorghum plants as a raw material for making bioethanol for gasoline fuel oil (BBM) mixtures. Because sorghum has great potential to help Indonesia achieve food and energy self-sufficiency. 

Food and Energy Challenges

Reports from the World Bank and the World Food Organization (FAO) show that geopolitical tensions and climate change have disrupted food production in various parts of the world. This has had an impact on the price of food commodities, including wheat, which is still Indonesia's main need. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) noted that Indonesia's wheat imports in 2023 will reach 10.59 million tonnes, an increase of 13% compared to before. 

At a time when wheat imports reached around 10 million tons per year, sorghum was starting to be looked at as a potential local alternative. However, what is Indonesia's position in utilizing sorghum compared to other main producing countries? 

Based on the latest report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), world sorghum production is led by the United States (US), followed by Nigeria, Brazil and Sudan. 

While these countries utilize sorghum as a primary food source, Indonesia is starting to consider sorghum as a local alternative to reduce dependence on imports and face pressures on global commodity prices. 

The Hidden Potential of Sorghum

Although sorghum has a long history in Indonesia, with cultivation since the 4th century, Indonesia is not listed as a major player in sorghum production. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that the sorghum harvest area in Indonesia is still limited, around 25,000 hectares in the 1990-2010 period. Although government efforts in recent years have begun to revitalize sorghum, its development is still far behind compared to other major producing countries. 

Even with the land potential in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), national production is still not significant enough to register in global statistics. 

Foto: Sorgum (Image by gawchar555 from Pixabay) Sorgum (Image by gawchar555 from Pixabay)

The three-fold increase in global wheat prices since 2022 has prompted Indonesia to look for alternatives. According to data from FAO, this crisis was triggered by reduced wheat exports from major countries such as Russia and India. Sorghum emerged as an option to replace some of Indonesia's wheat flour needs. 

With a substitution potential of 1.18 million tons of sorghum flour, Indonesia can reduce dependence on wheat imports. However, to achieve this, Indonesia needs to expand its sorghum land area to 380,557 hectares, a major challenge that requires commitment and policy support. 

Countries such as Nigeria and Ethiopia have successfully utilized sorghum as part of their national food security. Ethiopia, for example, relies on the Oromia and Amhara regions to achieve production of 4,100 thousand tons per year. 

On the other hand, Brazil and the United States not only produce sorghum for food, but also develop it into bioethanol as an alternative fuel. Indonesia actually has the same potential, especially with the PT Pertamina program which has started a sorghum-based bioethanol pilot project in NTB. 

The Role of Sorghum in National Energy Security

Sorghum can not only reduce dependence on food imports, but also play an important role in the diversification of renewable energy. PT Pertamina has conducted trials on the use of sorghum as a raw material for bioethanol, which can be mixed with fuel. This process involves extracting sap from sorghum stalks, which is then fermented into bioethanol. 

In several automotive exhibitions such as the GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS), bioethanol from sorghum has been introduced as a cleaner and renewable energy solution. 

Sorghum production capacity in Indonesia is still a major challenge. Even though the government has prepared 700 thousand hectares of land for sugar cane and bioethanol cultivation, diversification with sorghum has not yet reached the expected scale. 

OkiMuraza, Senior Vice President of Innovation Technology at PT Pertamina, emphasized the need for careful planning and technological support to accelerate the increase in sorghum production in the NTB and NTT regions. 

Sorghum and the Local Economy, Encouraging Farmer Welfare

Sorghum development has a positive impact on the local economy, especially in areas that were previously less productive. With the price of sorghum flour being lower than wheat flour, sorghum can become a profitable commodity for farmers. 

Government support in the form of training, technology and market access is very necessary to ensure sorghum becomes a stable source of income for farmers in marginal areas such as NTT. 

Indonesia has a great opportunity to utilize sorghum as a long-term solution in facing the global food and energy crisis. With strategic steps in land and technology development, as well as collaboration between the government, private sector and society, sorghum can become a new backbone for the Indonesian economy. This not only reduces import dependence, but also helps create stronger food and energy security, in line with the 2024 sustainable development vision. 

This is a 'miracle' plant that can make RI energy self-sufficient

Foto: Sorgum (Image by gentryj from Pixabay)

Indonesia apparently has a 'miracle' plant as one that functions to replace the role of fuel oil (BBM). The plant is Sorghum. 

So, currently, PT Pertamina (Persero) is trying to increase the use of sorghum plants as a raw material for making bioethanol for gasoline fuel oil (BBM) mixtures. Because sorghum has great potential to help Indonesia achieve food and energy self-sufficiency. 

PT Pertamina's Senior Vice President (SVP) Innovation Technology, Oki Muraza, is aware that the use of sugar cane as a raw material for bioethanol often comes into contact with food needs, especially for sugar production. So there is a potential for conflict between the energy and food sectors. 

However, unlike sugarcane, sorghum does not face similar problems. Sorghum is a multifunctional plant, where the grains can be processed into sorghum flour or rice as an alternative to wheat, while the stems can be used to produce bioethanol. 

"It can be parallel. So in the case of sorghum cultivation, there is no conflict between food or energy. So the food is strengthened, reducing imports of wheat and stalks reduces fuel imports," said Oki in CNBC Indonesia's Energy Corner program, Tuesday (22/10/ 2024). 

However, the challenge currently being faced is related to increasing the national production capacity of sorghum plants. Therefore, Pertamina is currently trying to cultivate sorghum plants. 

Oki revealed that currently Pertamina is working on a pilot project for sorghum cultivation in the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) region. His party uses geospatial data to determine the availability of land suitable for sorghum cultivation. 

"So we will now look geospatially at how much land is available. Then we will look again at how much can be used for agriculture and we will also look at the compatibility of the land with crops, with sorghum. We hope that later in this pilot production we can orchestrate it like before. "The grains become food, are off-take by farmers and can also be distributed, they can also be exported to reduce wheat imports and then the stalks become bioethanol," said Oki.