Food security has become one of the main agendas in welcoming Indonesia Emas 2045.
In addressing this challenge, UGM has downstreamed the innovation of the Gadjah Mada Gogo Rancah 7 (Gamagora) rice variety into the product Presokazi Premium Rice. Professor Taryono, the lead researcher, explained that the Presokazi rice innovation is aimed at addressing nutrient deficiencies.
Nutrient deficiencies, such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), in children and pregnant women can hinder children’s growth and lead to stunting.
Rice, the Indonesian people’s staple food, offers a promising option due to its affordability and high accessibility. Presokazi rice is produced from the cultivation of the Gamagora 7 rice variety using Super Smart Fertilizer (SSF), another innovation by PIAT UGM.
“The concept and research on biofortification, which involves enhancing the nutritional content of food through cultivation, has long been conceived, but the Presokazi rice project only began in 2023,” Professor Taryono explained on Friday (Dec. 27).
After recognizing its strategic value, a team of food researchers from the Department of Agricultural Cultivation, UGM Faculty of Agriculture, conducted the development research of Presokazi rice in collaboration with the private sector.
The Gamagora 7 rice variety was initially developed to address climate change issues affecting farmers’ harvests. Compared to other rice types, Gamagora 7 is more resistant to environmental conditions and climate change.
It continues to grow in dryland and rain-fed fields, proving resilient against pests such as brown planthoppers.
Additionally, Gamagora 7 has a shorter harvest period of approximately 104 days and a potential yield of up to 9.8 tons per hectare, making it an attractive option for farmers to cultivate this nutrient-rich variety.
According to Professor Taryono, despite its original purpose, Gamagora 7 coincidentally produced high-quality, soft-textured rice that is rich in protein.
“The use of soil conditioner from agricultural waste-based super-smart fertilizers was able to increase the iron and zinc content,” he stated.
The research was implemented directly on community land in Klaten, Central Java, and Ngawi, East Java, leading to the idea of creating the premium rice product Presokazi.
Professor Taryono acknowledged that the process of downstream research to become a commercial product was not easy. It required high additional production costs in soil conditioning, planting, and harvesting processes.
Significant costs were also incurred in developing the SSF fertilizer mixture. Additionally, there were challenges garnering farmers’ interest in growing Gamagora 7 rice, as it is still relatively new and unfamiliar to the public.
So far, the downstream of Gamagora 7 research has collaborated with two industries, namely PT Tunas Widji Inti Nayottama (TWINN) and PT Agri Sparta. With its various advantages and benefits in addressing agro-complex issues, Professor Taryono hopes that Presokazi rice will attract industrial interest for commercialization.
“Several companies are interested in using the Presokazi rice development technology, and there are even private companies interested in directly marketing the rice,” he concluded.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afif