FMC Corporation, an American agricultural sciences and chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, announced the launch of its farmer mobile application ‘Sobat Jempolan’ in Indonesia
According to FMC, the app enables farmers to find solutions to their crop challenges, nutrition needs and offers useful information about the optimal dosage of crop protection products, helping farmers grow food more efficiently. It is also said to help farmers locate the nearest authorised retailers, product prices and guidelines on the judicious use of products.
Ajudan Lumbantoruan, acting country manager for FMC Indonesia, said, "The Sobat Jempolan app puts the information which growers need, conveniently at their fingertips. When we were building the app, our priority was identifying farmer needs, focusing on how we can better help them meet those needs and provide them with the service they rely on from FMC. It’s our way of being available to customers 24/7."
The app marks another milestone in FMC Indonesia’s efforts to bring digitisation to agriculture. As part of future updates to the app, FMC Indonesia aims to include features such as WhatsApp messaging to make it even easier for farmers to communicate with its call support centre and to participate in promotional activities. The Sobat Jempolan app is now available for download from the iOS and Android app stores.
FMC said that against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, the company has tried to highlight the importance of using digital technologies due to the social distancing norms and nationwide lockdowns. FMC Indonesia aims to continue engaging and educating the farmer community through various digital platforms. FMC Indonesia has a live series “Halo FMC Jempolan” on Facebook, sharing field demonstrations with farmers in the region.
The company also continues work on a programme called “Saung TKP” (Tempat Konsultasi Pertanian), a digital innovation that brings the traditional village hut (Saung) where farmers usually gather online. The platform aims to encourage learning and discussion on a broad array of agricultural topics with both FMC and agricultural experts. FMC said that the preparations for its next season are underway and recordings of the episodes will be posted on FMC Indonesia’s YouTube channel.
