FACTORS DRIVING PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY OF SORGHUM DEVELOPMENT IN EAST MANGGARAI REGENCY, INDONESIA

Abstract

Sorghum is starting to be developed continuously in East Manggarai because it is well adapted to the dry climate. Even though it was once cultivated, currently most people do not consume sorghum, even though sorghum has advantages compared to rice and corn. This study aims to describe the public's interest/perception towards sorghum, as well as list the driving factors for developing sorghum productivity and profitability. The study location was chosen deliberately with consideration of the sorghum planting area, and a location that is easily accessible. Melo Village, Nggolon Dari Village, and Compang Ndenjing Village were selected to represent the population in Manggarai Regency. A total of 47 households planted sorghum and all of them were used as samples (Saturated Samples). Collecting information through surveys, field observations, and guided discussions with informants from the Agriculture Service, data was analyzed descriptively and quantitatively. The results of the study found that public interest was quite interested in sorghum as a food ingredient. Several driving factors for the development of sorghum are the availability of land, labor, facilities and infrastructure, and government support. The profitability of sorghum can be seen from the revenue and cost ratio (RCR) of 1.82, which indicates that sorghum is worth developing.

Keywords

• sorghum
• productivity
• profitability
• public interest
• revenue cost ratio