A quest to increase Indonesia's national rice supply

An estimated 10–15% of the rice produced by Indonesian farmers does not reach the market because postharvest losses are high. These losses consist of shattered grains during harvesting and transport, grains eaten by animals and spilled in sun-drying, and losses in rice mills due to poor equipment, poor maintenance, and low-quality raw material (paddy).

Hermetic storage system with a 5-ton capacity for seeds used by a farmers' group in Compreng, Subang, West Java.

In addition, the remaining rice that reaches the market is often of poor quality with low head rice, many broken grains, wrong moisture content, and discolored grains from delays in postharvest operations and improper drying. The poor quality grain is often downgraded to Grade 3, which sells at highly discounted prices, typically around 20% less than Grade 1.

Improved postharvest management and technologies can therefore help increase the milled rice available in the country and can significantly lead to better quality
and healthier rice.

The Postproduction Work Group of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium currently contributes to reducing postharvest losses in Indonesia by piloting hermetically sealed storage systems in collaboration with the Assessment Institute of Agricultural Technology (BPTP) in North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java, and South Sulawesi. These storage systems include the Super Bag or Kantong Semar with a 50-kilogram capacity for the village level, and larger commercial systems with 5–200-ton capacity for the commercial sector.

Inspecting a dryer installed at the farmer’ processing center at Upang Village in South Sumatra.

The seeds kept in hermetic storage for the next season’s crop keep their germination rate above 90% even after extended storage, and thus ensure even and vigorous crop establishment. This leads to reduced seed rates and higher yields compared to normal seeds. Paddy that is kept in hermetic storage before milling typically results in milled rice having 10% higher whole grain than paddy from open storage.

The Work Group, in collaboration with BPTP South Sumatra and the South Sumatra Forest Fire Management Project, also supports the introduction and adaptation of flat-bed dryers for mechanical drying of paddy. The dryers can be used by rice millers, traders, drying service providers, and farmers’ groups. These dryers improve the quality of paddy compared to the traditional sun-drying method, and thus increase the milling recoveries and head rice recoveries of rice mills.

Text and photos by Martin Gummert (m.gummert@cgiar.org)

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