Professor of Plant Breeding at the Faculty of Agriculture, Muslim University of Indonesia (UMI), Prof. Dr. Edy MP, has successfully produced two superior national varieties of high-protein glutinous corn, which are projected to be an alternative to strengthen national food security.
The two varieties, Putra Baru 1 and Putra Baru 2, are the result of six years of research supported by funding from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek).
Edy, in Makassar on Saturday, said that the research being developed is not only oriented towards increasing productivity, but also providing alternative foods with better nutritional quality.
"What we've produced isn't just a new variety, but glutinous corn with a higher protein content, increased productivity, and broad adaptability," he said.
In 2024, both were officially released as national superior varieties through a Decree of the Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, so that they could be widely developed by farmers in various regions.
"We hope this variety can be a solution to strengthening national food security while improving farmer welfare," he said.
He explained that, in addition to the protein content reaching 11.52 percent in Putra Baru 1 and 11.64 percent in Putra Baru 2, both varieties also have high productivity.
