JAKARTA – PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) has conducted a trial of subsidized fertilizer redemption through the i-Pubers application (Integrated Subsidized Fertilizer) in six provinces: Bangka Belitung (Babel), Riau, South Kalimantan (Kalsel), North Sumatra (Sumut), Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi. The application, a result of the collaboration between the T-Pubers (Subsidized Fertilizer Redemption) owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rekan application from Pupuk Indonesia, has proven to simplify the process of redeeming subsidized fertilizer at kiosks.

Wijaya Laksana, Senior Vice President of Corporate Secretary of Pupuk Indonesia, stated that the presence of the i-Pubers application supports the efforts of Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, who aims to make subsidized fertilizer redemption as easy as bringing an ID card (Kartu Tanda Penduduk or KTP). The i-Pubers application is Pupuk Indonesia's commitment to supporting the government in improving the governance of subsidized fertilizer distribution.

"Through the i-Pubers application, we affirm that farmers only need to bring their ID card, and they can transact or redeem subsidized fertilizer both online and offline," said Wijaya Laksana in his statement on Thursday (7/12/2023).

Wijaya explained that i-Pubers is an application used by kiosks. In practice, farmers simply need to come with their ID card, and the kiosk will input the redemption transaction amount, and farmers will sign the transaction proof on the i-Pubers application. During the transaction, the farmer's ID card and the redeemed fertilizer will be photographed by the kiosk through the i-Pubers application, which is equipped with Geotagging technology.

The benefits obtained after implementing the i-Pubers application include the digitization of the redemption process and the administration documents of subsidized fertilizer redemption being more organized. Additionally, this application provides the ability to trace the distribution of subsidized fertilizers at the kiosk level using the National Identification Number (Nomor Induk Kependudukan or NIK). It will also facilitate real-time product stock control.

Currently, i-Pubers has been implemented in the provinces of Riau, Bangka Belitung, South Kalimantan, North Sumatra, Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi. In detail, in 3,140 kiosks or 12 percent of the total kiosks owned by Pupuk Indonesia throughout the country, which amounts to 26,400.

In its implementation, Wijaya emphasized that, in general, i-Pubers has been operating well in these six provinces. However, he also admitted that nationally there are still around 819 blank spots, or only about 3 to 4 percent of the total kiosks.

The Ministry of Agriculture stated that the use of the i-Pubers application has successfully facilitated farmers and kiosks in the process of redeeming subsidized fertilizer, even though it has only been implemented in six provinces. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture hopes that this digital system can be implemented in all provinces soon. This is because farmers in areas with limited signal or internet networks can still redeem subsidized fertilizer using their ID cards.