Planting Corn Bring Out Bachelors
My name is Timothy. I am a corn farmer from Southwest Sumba. I have four children. As the head of the family, I make sure that my children's needs are fulfilled, including their educational needs. Even though I only rely on income as a farmer, I am very grateful because many people have helped me. I received assistance in the form of fertilizers and seeds from Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) through a mentoring program with HSBC Indonesia.
I have experienced crop failure a few years ago. At that time, the rat pests were many and ate my seeds. There were some plants left but they were stunting and poor in quality. Thankfully, HSBC Indonesia's program assisted me through the distribution of hybrid corn seeds for the second time. In addition, I also received training on Good Agricultural Practice. This training was really useful for me because it could help me deal with pest attacks by applying a spacing system or double track that will provide benefits for farmers. On February 18, 2022, I harvested the corn. It was amazing because I got an abundant harvest. My corn plantation even became the demonstration plot for the people of my village, Homba Rica Village.
At the time of harvest, the Head of the Agriculture Service and the staff of the Statistics Agency were also present so we could know how much yield we will get. And sure enough, when my harvest was weighed, I managed to harvest 5 tons of corn from an area of 70x50. Previously, my land was only able to produce no more than 2 tons of corn. Thanks to the assistance from HSBC Indonesia and WVI, I can get double the results from what I usually got in the past. I am very grateful. I wish this abundant harvest, I can take my children to the university because at this time my oldest child will graduate from Senior High School. I am getting more excited about planting corn by applying the results of the Good Agricultural Practice training that I participate in so far.
Written by: Elisabeth Putri Krismawati HSBC Project Coordinator – South West Sumba
Translated by: Aqueta Alexandra Kroons, Intern Wahana Visi Indonesia.
