Yogyakarta, October 31, 2025 — The Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (DTPB), Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FTP UGM) welcomed a delegation from Perum Badan Urusan Logistik (BULOG) for a follow-up meeting on a collaboration to develop food-grain storage technologies, particularly for paddy and corn, in support of national food security. This meeting follows the initial collaboration discussion held on October 28, 2025.
The meeting at DTPB FTP UGM was attended by Prof. Dr. Ir. Nursigit Bintoro; Dr. Arifin Dwi Saputro; Dr. Devi Yuni Susanti; Dr. Chandra Setyawan; Dr. Andri Prima Nugroho; Dr. Sri Markumningsih; and Dr. Dwi Ayuni from DTPB FTP UGM. Representing BULOG were Mr. Andy Nugroho, General Manager, Business Unit (Industrial), along with his technical team.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Devi Yuni Susanti expressed gratitude for BULOG’s trust in DTPB FTP UGM’s support of national food storage systems. She emphasized that the meeting is a continuation of the planned research synergy on more efficient, safe, and sustainable storage technologies for food-grains. The cooperation may cover the evaluation and performance testing of storage processes, design of warehouse and silo processes, and the preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Opportunities for academic cooperation such as internships and human-resource capacity-building were also discussed.
Technical Discussion and Evaluation of Silo Storage Systems
In the technical discussion, Prof. Nursigit Bintoro addressed several operational issues in silo use, including excessive internal temperatures, inaccurate measurement of grain volume inside silos, and non-standardized sorting processes. He also stressed the importance of re-testing support equipment such as huskers, rice-sorting machines, and weighing systems to ensure they operate according to technical and food-quality standards.
Prof. Nursigit further expressed his hope that silos will be optimized in the future as the primary storage system due to their greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared with conventional warehouse storage, especially in reducing operational costs and maintaining grain quality over the long term.
DTPB FTP UGM has strong competencies in post-harvest technology and engineering of food-grain storage systems, including the development of ventilation systems, temperature and humidity control, and digital instrumentation for monitoring agricultural product quality. The involvement of DTPB in this collaboration signifies recognition of FTP UGM’s academic expertise in supporting the implementation of appropriate technology solutions oriented to the efficiency of the national food-supply chain.
Linkage with SDGs and Future Outlook
This cooperative initiative aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially:
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SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): through improved food-grain storage efficiency and food-security systems;
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SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure): through strengthening agricultural and logistic innovations and infrastructure;
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SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): through the application of sustainable storage systems that minimize post-harvest losses.
DTPB FTP UGM hopes that the collaboration with BULOG will produce national standard operational procedures and storage-technology systems—including silo and warehouse applications—that are more efficient, measurable, and capable of ensuring the quality of Indonesia’s strategic food commodities. This cooperation represents an important step toward strengthening the role of academia in technological and policy innovation to support a resilient and sustainable national food-security system.
