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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Energy & Infrastructure

Indonesia Harvests Nation's First Nuclear-Developed Superior Rice Varieties

From Republika · (10m ago) Indonesian Positive tone

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) celebrated the first harvest of superior rice varieties developed using nuclear mutation technology.
  • This initiative, utilizing gamma ray irradiation, aims to accelerate national food self-sufficiency, a priority program for President Prabowo Subianto.
  • The technology enhances genetic diversity and improves crop characteristics without introducing foreign genes, ensuring safety and environmental friendliness.

In a significant stride towards national food security, Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has successfully conducted the first harvest of superior rice varieties developed through advanced nuclear mutation breeding techniques. This milestone event in Subang, West Java, underscores the nation's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology, specifically gamma ray irradiation, to bolster its agricultural sector and achieve President Prabowo Subianto's priority program of food self-sufficiency.

Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) melaksanakan panen perdana benih penjenis (breeder seed) varietas padi unggul yang dikembangkan melalui pemuliaan mutasi iradiasi di Subang, Jawa Barat, Kamis (30/4/2026).

Announcing the first harvest of superior rice varieties developed through irradiation mutation breeding.

BRIN Head Prof. Arif Satria highlighted the practical application of nuclear technology, moving beyond theoretical research to deliver tangible contributions in the face of global food crises. He emphasized that the irradiated seeds are pivotal in realizing the President's targets, promising substantial increases in crop yields and planting indices per hectare. This method allows researchers to safely and broadly enhance the genetic diversity of plants, improving traits like plant height and maturity periods, thereby addressing critical agricultural challenges.

mempertegas peran teknologi nuklir dalam mempercepat swasembada pangan nasional yang menjadi program prioritas Presiden Prabowo Subianto.

Stating the strategic importance of nuclear technology in achieving national food self-sufficiency.

Dr. Mulyadi Sinung Harjono, Director of Research and Innovation Utilization at BRIN, elaborated on the process, explaining that mutation breeding via gamma rays induces changes in DNA structure, which are then meticulously selected. Crucially, unlike Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), this technique does not involve foreign gene insertion, ensuring the resulting seeds are safe for consumption and environmentally benign. The focus in Subang is on producing breeder seeds with near-perfect genetic purity, which will then be multiplied to meet the needs of thousands of hectares of farmland, demonstrating a clear pathway from research to farmer-level application.

Apa yang kita panen hari ini adalah instrumen kunci untuk mewujudkan target swasembada pangan Presiden Prabowo.

— Prof. Arif SatriaEmphasizing the harvest's role in achieving President Prabowo's food self-sufficiency goals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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