South Sulawesi to Develop Organic Farming

TEMPO Interactive, Makassar:The South Sulawesi government will develop organic farming. Lutfi Halide, the South Sulawesi Agriculture Office chief, said organic agricultural products like vegetables and rice are needed by consumers. Lutfi said supermarkets and foreign markets continue to seek for non-chemical agricultural products.

�We have collaborated with six Carrefour supermarkets in Makassar to sell organic agricultural products like vegetables and other items,� he said yesterday.

Lutfi said he was ready to oversee the development of organic agricultural products by maximizing the role of agricultural staff and trainers to assist farmers.

Yusuf, from the Lulunan Farmers Group in Enrekang, said assistance is needed because organic farming is difficult to be implemented. Although he has developed organic products since 2007, he still encounters some problems.

In an organic agriculture quality insurance workshop and training at Hasanuddin University on November 5 to 7, 2010, Yusuf said the main thing to be considered is the land on which organic products will be planted because of the conversion from chemical fertilizer to natural compost.

The same goes for pesticides, which are altered to those made of cattle dung. �We have been doing that for a long time, and we still face many problems,� he said.

Yusuf has implemented organic farming on two locations, each measuring 1.5 hectares and 2 hectares. Both lands were planted with vegetables to be marketed at supermarkets. �They are more expensive, and it takes more effort and time,� he said.

Sylvia Sjam, a researcher from Hasanuddin University on pests and plant diseases, said there are many who claimed their products are organic when in fact they still use chemicals. As such, she hopes farmers hold on to standards and guarantee the quality of their products so that consumers still trust them.


SYAMSULMARLIN