“Farmers in Karangrejo Village, Loano Subdistrict, Purworejo Regency, Central Java, on Monday (August 11th), experienced tremendous joy as they achieved a historical increase in rice harvest. Currently. It can reach up to 7 tons per hectare, whereas previously it was only 5 tons,” said Patnani, Head of Karangrejo Village.
This increase in harvest has been achieved since they received assistance in the form of bore wells for irrigation and clean water from the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). These wells, developed through the Community Service Program (PkM), are capable of irrigating 5 hectares of rice fields. “Before the wells were installed, the planting pattern was one rice crop and one secondary crop (palawija) per year. Now, it’s possible to plant rice twice and palawija once,” Patnani added.
During the initial large-scale harvest following the bore well irrigation program, harvest reached an average of 7 tons of unhusked rice per hectare. In fact, for the Trisultan rice variety, it could reach up to 8.8 tons per hectare. Trisultan is a superior rice variety known for its high yield potential, short maturity period (95–100 days after planting), and resistance to various pests, diseases, and drought conditions.
The Chief of Karangrejo Village expressed gratitude to all parties who supported the provision of the bore wells, especially the Environmental Science Program and the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada. He also hopes that this collaboration will continue and expand into other areas. (Suronokarti)