When discussing the upstream process of coffee, there are many things that come to mind ranging from harvesting, sorting, fermentation, washing, to drying coffee. Besides all these stages, there is one other stage that is also very fundamental in the upstream coffee process. That is the coffee seed selection stage.

In the third wave coffee era that emphasizes coffee quality, the selection of coffee seeds, especially certified coffee seeds, is crucial. This is an effort to minimize the possibility of coffee being affected by plant diseases.

To know more about certified coffee bean seeds, let’s see the review below.

Application of certified coffee bean seeds in coffee farming in Indonesia

The application of certified coffee bean seeds is not new in the upstream coffee industry. This program can be considered important because it has the potential to have a positive impact in preventing coffee plants from being affected by disease.

In Indonesia itself, one of the issues that make coffee productivity low is that there are still many farmers who do not use superior clones/varieties in the coffee planting process.

Under these conditions, the use of certified superior seeds is the right solution to be maximized by coffee farmers in Indonesia.

When discussing coffee seed certification, it is also important to remember that the program covers production process standards. The process is from seedling, land preparation, harvesting, post-harvest processing, to coffee storage.

This shows that the certified coffee seed program does not stop at one stage. This program should continue in subsequent processes.

The application of certified coffee seeds from the perspective of producers and consumers is also very important because it can provide several benefits.

From the producer’s perspective, the certified coffee seed label, for example, can have a positive impact on maintaining the market share that the producer already has. The use of certified coffee seeds also has a positive effect on the amount of coffee production.

In a case study in Siborongborong Sub-district, it was found that the use of certified coffee seeds could produce 860.33 kilograms of coffee per hectare. The coffee is superior to uncertified coffee seeds which only produce 479.56 kilograms per hectare.

In addition, from the consumer side, certified coffee seeds also have a positive impact because they can provide a sense of security regarding the guarantee of the coffee seeds purchased.

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Quality standards for coffee seed certification

The discussion on certified coffee seeds also cannot be separated from the issue of coffee seed quality standards in Indonesia.

According to the Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 89/PERMENTAN/OT.140/9/2013 of 2013 on Standard Operating Procedures for Determining Seed Source Farms, Seed Certification, and Evaluation of Coffee Plant Seed Source Farms, coffee seeds can be divided into four forms.

Here are four forms of coffee seeds with their respective quality standards:

Seed quality standards in the form of seeds

For coffee seeds in the form of beans, some of the standards applied are that the beans must have a moisture content of around 30-40 percent, physical purity of 98 percent, a minimum germination rate of 80 percent, and also be free of pests (Plant Disturbing Organisms).

Seed quality standards in the form of entres

In the form of entres, coffee seeds are usually required to have internodes of 3 – 4 buds, have green to dark green branch color, be free from branch borers, and also not wrinkled.

Quality standards for somatic embryogenesis seeds

In somatic embryogenesis coffee seeds, seed quality standards are further divided into two parts, namely post-acclimatization seed standards and ready-to-plant seed standards.

For post-acclimatization coffee seeds, it is required that the planlets must be at least two months old since the acclimation process, 10 centimeters in height, at least two pairs of light green leaves, brownish green stem color, and have a certificate from the Balai Besar Perbenihan dan Proteksi Tanaman Perkebunan.

For ready-to-plant coffee seeds, it is required that the planlets are at least two months old since planting in enlargement, at least 20 centimeters tall, at least four pairs of fresh green leaves, and have a certificate from the Center for Plantation Seeds and Plant Protection.

Quality standards for seeds in polybags

For polybag coffee seeds using either seedling, cuttings, or shoot grafting methods, all are required to be at least 5-6 months old, have at least five pairs of fresh green leaves, be pest-free, have a new shoot diameter of ≥ 8 millimeters, and also have a polybag size of 14 x 22 centimeters or 15 – 21 centimeters.

Meanwhile, in terms of plant height, seedlings are required to have a height of around 25-30 centimeters, cuttings 20-25 centimeters, and shoots 30-35 centimeters.

Who is responsible for labeling certified coffee seeds?

After knowing the quality standards applied to coffee seeds, another question arises regarding who has the authority to certify coffee seeds.

Read also: Get to Know More About Specialty Coffee, High Quality Coffee with the Best Quality Standards

The answer to this question is the Plant Seed Supervisor (PBT) from the Plantation Seed Supervision and Certification Center (BPSBP) agency.

The Plantation Seed Supervision and Certification Center (BPSBP) is a government agency that has the responsibility to increase the supply of quality seeds through supervision of production, seed quality, and also quality seeds that will be marketed.

It is BPSBP that has the authority to assess the quality of seeds including coffee seeds which are regulated according to applicable standards.

Well, that was a brief explanation regarding the application of certified coffee seeds in Indonesia. From the above review, we know more about the importance of using certified coffee seeds in the upstream coffee process. I hope this article is useful.

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