BOGOR, Indonesia (04 August 2025) - The Rice Crop Manager (RCM) Indonesia project team from IRRI Headquarters and IRRI Indonesia met with Dr. Ir. Haris Syahbuddin, DEA, the newly-appointed Director of Pusat Perakitan dan Modernisasi Pertanian Tanaman Pangan / Indonesian Center for Food Crops Engineering and Modernization (BRMP Food Crops) to discuss updates on the progress of the RCM Indonesia project. The meeting also served as an opportunity to congratulate the Director on his new role and reaffirm the strong partnership between IRRI and BRMP Food Crops.

During the discussion, the team reviewed the latest developments in Layanan Konsultasi Padi (LKP) 2.0, Indonesia’s localized version of RCM, including ongoing efforts to simplify the platform’s interface and functions based on valuable feedback from BRMP Food Crops. This upgrade aims to enhance usability and ensure broader accessibility for extension workers, farmers, and other stakeholders across Indonesia.

The meeting also covered updates from recent field trials, highlighting the latest data collected and its implications for improving site-specific nutrient management. John Bryan Rolloque, IRRI’s Nutrient and Crop Management Researcher, stated in his presentation, “LKP offers significant reductions in nitrogen application. From the field trials, using LKP recommendations, farmers applied significantly less nitrogen, an average of 113 kg/ha, compared to the 137 kg/ha using farmer practices.”

Dr. Ir. Haris Syahbuddin, DEA, Director of BRMP Food Crops, expressed his appreciation on the LKP 2.0 upgrade, saying, “We hope that LKP 2.0 will be used by more farmers. The Indonesian government focuses on rice self-sufficiency, and LKP 2.0 could help farmers decrease costs and increase production. Additionally, LKP 2.0 has the potential to significantly reduce GHG emissions and lower carbon footprints in agricultural practices.”

As part of the continued collaboration, IRRI, and BRMP Food Crops and Rice, together with the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Extension, co-organized and facilitated the Training of Masters (ToM) on LKP 2.0 on 6 - 8 August 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. This training aims to equip agricultural trainers, extension workers and lecturers with the knowledge and skills to generate and disseminate LKP recommendations widely across the country.

The RCM Indonesia project is being implemented by IRRI in collaboration with Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture – BRMP Food Crops and other private entities, with funding support from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.