TUBAN, Thekabarnews.com – President Prabowo Subianto and government officials led a huge corn harvest in Tuban. This event underscored the administration’s push to modernize Indonesia’s agriculture industry.

During the event, Prabowo himself ran a modern farming machine, the combined corn harvester. This demonstration drew public attention to the importance of agricultural technology in increasing harvest efficiency and national food security.

The government is encouraging the modernization of agriculture, including in key farming areas such as East Java. Furthermore, the shift to the combined corn harvester is part of that plan.

But the machine’s high cost is a major barrier for most Indonesian farmers, even though it harvests faster and more efficiently.

The price of a combined corn harvester is in the tens of millions to hundreds of millions of rupiah. For this reason, farmers on a small and medium scale very rarely privately own it.

Most of the farmers in Tuban and other rural areas do not possess equipment.

Instead, they need to rent the machine in a group through farmer groups. The rental costs are usually around Rp1.5 million to Rp2.5 million per hectare.

Farmers don’t normally get to request rentals one at a time.

Entry is through officially registered farmer groups. Often, you will have to enter your request at least 10 days before the harvest period you are seeking.

In fact, this system often delays, especially during peak harvest seasons when demand increases.

Limited access is also due to the fact that these machines are not available in every agricultural area.

In most districts, only part of the agricultural area is accessible to combine corn harvesters. The average number of combined corn harvesters in one regency is often only three machines.

Farmers have to carefully coordinate and wait long periods of time before they can use machinery. Without machinery, they cannot.

Farmers also need proper technical training to run the machine effectively. You cannot just take a combine corn harvester and run it willy-nilly. It takes a trained operator and the right conditions in the field.

These limitations have led many farmers to persist with traditional harvesting methods. In fact, they opt to collaborate closely with neighbors and fellow farmer group members during the harvest season.

Modernization is important, but getting to it is the most significant problem.

Without wider distribution, cheaper rental systems, and better training in the technicalities of modern farming equipment, it could be a symbol of progress rather than a practical solution for rural communities.

The image of Prabowo on the back of the machine in Tuban is a strong indication of the government’s commitment to modernizing agriculture.

For many farmers on the ground, however, the real question is not whether the machine works, but whether they can realistically use it.

As Indonesia aims for improved food security and greater agricultural productivity, one of the greatest challenges for the sector is the gap between policy demonstration and the daily reality of farming.

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