Muhamad Syukur IPB Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture
Needed: One plant breeder for every 1,000 farmers

During the corner-stone laying ceremony of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) back in 1961, former President Sukarno requested that IPB produce as many agronomists and horticulturists as possible. "He knew the diversity of Indonesia's environment, and agronomists and plant breeders were needed everywhere in the country," said Muhamad Syukur, Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture at IPB.

According to Syukur, commodity plants would grow better if they were studied and treated so their genes could be improved to become better varieties. Tempo English reporter Syari Fani interviewed him two weeks ago on the problems faced when cultivating plants.

November 11, 2014