Project to Support Self-Sufficiency of Seeds and Seedlings in Indonesia

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Food Self-Sufficiency Emergency Project in response to COVID-19

My name is Akira Nishimura. I established a business in Indonesia in 1995, and since 2012, I have been producing vegetables using natural farming methods and selling them under the Yaopagi brand in my own stores, online home delivery, wholesale to restaurants and supermarkets, and at bazaars.

Our natural farming farm

Our vegetable corner at a supermarket in Jakarta.

Selling vegetables at the bazaar.

Directly owned store (closed in 2019)

Online Shop

Yao Pagi Net

What we want to achieve with this project
We will create a cycle of vegetable production in Indonesia from seed to cultivation and harvest to establish a true self-sufficiency system.

Why did you decide to do the project?
The spread of the covid-19 has had a serious impact on the global economy and international trade is nearing a standstill.

In this context, each country's priority is to produce its own food.

F1 (hybrid) species, which make up the majority of the species circulating in the current world, cannot be harvested seeds. Farmers have produced vegetables by buying seeds each time.

However, such distribution will be difficult in the next few years.

Agricultural land in Cipanas, West Java.

There is an urgent need to domesticate the species.
With a population of 270 million people, Indonesia is 90-95% self-sufficient in cereals, but not all seeds are domestically sourced; according to 2017 statistics, 40% of the vegetable seeds grown in Indonesia are imported. We need to domesticate this as soon as possible. The Minister of Agriculture has also repeatedly called for the nationalization of the seeds, but this has not yet been achieved.

Of course, importing raw materials for fertilizers, pesticides, and imports of the vegetables and fruits are expected to be nearly eliminated.
At the beginning of 2020, imports onions from China, the main exporter consumed in Indonesia, stopped and disappeared from the market.

We have consistently produced vegetables with fixed (traditional) species since the start of agricultural production in Indonesia in 2012.
In addition, all vegetable production in the field has been done naturally without the use of fertilizers and pesticides (natural farming method).

We have consistently produced vegetables with fixed (traditional) species that can be harvested from seed since we started agricultural production in Indonesia in 2012.

Seeding sunny lettuce.

So far we have harvested tomatoes, mini-tomatoes, buckwheat, wheat, garland chrysanthemums, sunny lettuce, radishes, eggplant, cucumbers, sweet corn, molasses, pea peas, okra, and chili seeds.

Natural cultivation and seed self-sufficiency through fixed species
All of our vegetable production is naturally grown without the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

We have been aiming to create a system that enables people involved in agriculture to earn sufficient income by growing safe, high-quality vegetables that are not affected by market prices.

The farmland in Cipanas, West Java, which started to be cultivated in February 2020, has started to produce high quality vegetable seeds that do not rely on imports from other countries, and has already started to grow seven varieties.

In order for Indonesia to achieve true food self-sufficiency, the local cycle from sowing to harvesting needs to be expanded as soon as possible.

We would like to raise a wide range of initial costs for this.

Cost Estimate

Transfer of agricultural materials (Jakarata-Cipanas) US$ 1,000
Green House repair materials and construction costs US$ 2,000
Purchase of seedlings US$ 1,000
Labor cost for seedling production (6 months) US$ 2000

Total US$ 6,000

Project Schedule

Start of seedling production in April 2020
June 2020: Greenhouse for breeding
August 2020: Start planting (10,000 grains/month, enough to produce 2.5 tons of vegetables)
October 2020 Increase in breeding (50,000 grains/month, enough to produce 12.5 tons of vegetables)
December 2020 Increase in breeding (100,000 grains per month, enough to produce 25 tons of vegetables)

Company Profile

1. Company Name PT. Bina Desa

2. Established September 1995

3. Location
Office : Jakarta
West Jawa Farm /Greenhouse : Cipanas, West Java

4. Paid up Capital 1,510,900US$

5. Representative
Nishimura Akira

6. Employees
2（Men 1, Women 1）

7. Description of business
Production of vegetable seeds, vegetables, edible agricultural products, Wholesale Distributor, Import Export Agricultural Machines

8. Chronology of Company

1995 Established in Indramayu, West Java
2001 Moved to Jakarta
2012 Start Agricultural business
2013 Start to seeding vegetables in Central Java
2014 Opened Delivery Center in Cibinong
2015 Opened 1st vegetable store in Blok A, South Jakarta
2017 Opened 2nd vegetable store in Sudirman Park Central Jakarta
2018 Acquired pesticide-free hydroponics green house
2020 Start production of vegetables seeds in Cipanas, West Java

We look forward to your cooperation and participation in this project!