INDONESIAN AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS 11 TH MEETING The agriculture

INDONESIAN AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS 11 TH MEETING

The agriculture sector plays a vital role in food production and food security and in supplying the needs of a huge Indonesian population. Sugar cane is the most produced food commodity in the word followed by corn and rice. Rice is a staple food in the Indonesian diet. Indonesia is the third largest rice producer in the world after China and India. However, because of Indonesia’s large population, the rice it produces is consumed internally. INTRODUCTORY WORDS

CORN RICE More people around the world eat rice as the primary staple of their diet than any other single food. Rice is a nutritious, affordable source of carbohydrates, and is packed with vitamins and minerals. It includes thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, iron, and potassium, and is an excellent source of amino acids. Only a trace of fat is found in either brown or white rice. Experiments have shown that brown rice and rice bran may help reduce cholesterol in the blood. Brown rice is a good source of fiber and an essential ingredient in a healthy diet.

FANTASTIC FACTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Rice is grouped by size: long, medium, or short grain. Grown rice is used for processed products such as baby food, rice cakes, beverages, and table rice. Rice farmers conserve water by recirculating irrigation water and using laser-guided grading equipment to level fields. It takes four to five months for rice to reach maturity. Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, iron, potassium, amino acids, and fiber are nutrients found in rice.

CORN Today, corn is cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. The three types of corn grown for human consumption are dent corn (grain), sweet corn (vegetable), and popcorn (food snack). Dent corn is primarily used as feed for animals, but is also processed into thousands of items: starch (baby food, salad dressing, glue); corn syrup (soda, fireworks, adhesives); dextrose (bakery goods, fruit juices, antibiotics); and oil (margarine, soap, paint). Today’s scientists have even developed a new source of fuel from corn products called ethanol.

FANTASTIC FACTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. The tassel is the male part of the plant that contains hundreds of small flowers. Corn was domesticated 10, 00012, 000 years ago in Mesoamerica. A cornstalk can grow 7 -12 feet tall. Hybridization is a breeding process used to improve characteristics of the plant. 40 percent of the world’s corn is produced in the United States. Starch, protein, oil, and fiber are the four nutritional elements of corn. Ethanol is an alternative fuel that is derived from corn.

CONCLUSIONS Together with rice, Indonesia is currently the region’s largest corn producer. However, existing Indonesian industries that use corm are mainly the animal feed industry and some biomass power plants. The latter show that corn should not only be used to fill people’s (and animal’s) stomach but can also be used to boost muchneeded power generation in Indonesia.