Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has invited farmers to take three steps in a bid to suppress the risks of crop failures amid the worldwide heat phenomenon El Nino.Head of BRIN’s Center for Food Crop Research, Yudhistira Nugraha, noted that the three steps involve making the most of the planting calendar (katam) information system, switching from planting rice to planting more early-maturing food crops, and using water more wisely. “By taking these three points into account, farmers are expected to succeed in preventing crop failures,” Nugraha remarked in Jakarta on Friday (October 6). Regarding the first step, he explained that the katam information system is an early warning system devised by the Ministry of Agriculture, with the objective of providing farmers with information on the most suitable times for cultivating their lands. However, he remarked that a large number of farmers in Indonesia had not enjoyed the convenience provided since they tended to stick to traditional ways of farming.

Source: Antara News Agency