Kupastuntas.co, Bandar Lampung – The Lampung Provincial Government (Pemprov) through the Food Crops and Horticulture Food Security Service found that around 5 to 10 percent of fake rice seeds are circulating on the market.

It turns out that the existence of fake rice seeds on the market is not just a figment. There are still several traders in Lampung Province who sell fake seeds to farmers.

"It is true that there are rice seeds that are found to be fake, but not many, at most between 5 and 10 percent. Around that number," said Head of the Lampung Province Food Crops and Horticulture Food Security Service, Bani Ispriyanto, Monday (2/10/2023).

Bani said that his party had taken precautions to minimize fake seeds circulating on the market by re-certifying them.

"We have taken precautions, we will re-check the seeds that come into Lampung and re-certify them. The certification is carried out by the UPTD Center for Supervision and Certification of Food Crops and Horticulture Seeds," he said.

He revealed that seed certification was carried out to provide guarantees to the public regarding the seeds circulating in the field. Because seeds are the initial factor and the main key to success in agriculture.

"So every seed distributed in Lampung must be certified. From there we anticipate that we will protect it like that so that it no longer circulates to the public," he explained.

He explained that each seed package has a barcode that can be checked by the public. The barcode contains information related to the type and variety of the seed.

"It has a barcode, so that if it is fake it will be discovered. Because in the barcode there is a data base or a seed information system. There is a separate UPTD that handles it and it will definitely be monitored," he explained.

Bani explained that the use of fake seeds by farmers would certainly have an impact on reducing the productivity of agricultural products.

"The impact of using fake seeds is of course a decrease in production. If, for example, the seeds are fake, the growth will not be good and will not be optimal. So the production will not be good, so the impact will be a decrease in productivity," he explained.

He said that all fake seeds found on the market would be destroyed so they could not be used by irresponsible people.

"Fake seeds are destroyed and the perpetrators can be processed by the police and can be punished. And someone has already been convicted," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the DPD Secretary of the Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association (HKTI) of Lampung Province, R. Prabawa, encouraged local governments and law enforcement officials to stop the circulation of fake rice seeds.

"The distribution of fake rice seeds is certainly very detrimental to farmers. Farmers lose time, energy and money. Because it is clear that fake seeds will have an impact on reducing production," said Prabawa.

Prabawa asked the local government to certify the seeds in circulation so that people can get quality seeds.

"The local government and law enforcement officials must immediately respond to the presence of these fake seeds. Because of course it is the farmers who will be harmed. Now this is the dry season, the lean season so I feel sorry for the farmers," he said.

Previously, the Head of the Agricultural Instrument Standardization Agency (BSIP) of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), Fadjry Djufry, said that fake rice seeds dominate the market for food crop seeds in society. The circulation of non-standardized seeds has reached 80 percent on the market since 2019.

"The results of the 2019 National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) survey showed that as many as 80 percent of the seeds and seedlings in circulation were not certified and not standardized. Some were even fake in quotation marks," said Fadjry, Friday (29/9/2023).

He said that in order to solve this problem, cooperation from all parties, from regents, mayors, governors to farmers, is needed. "It requires alignment and togetherness. Most rice seeds that are not standardized are a problem in society. Cooperation is needed so that it can be minimized," he said.

According to Fadjry, implementing product standards along with monitoring and evaluation will eliminate fake seeds circulating in the community. "By implementing this standard, equipped with supervision, fake seed products will be screened. Rice seeds in circulation must comply with the standard," he said. (*)

This news was published in the Tuesday 3 October 2023 edition of Kupas Tuntas daily newspaper with the title "Beware! Fake Rice Seeds Circulating in Lampung"