Jakarta. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono plans to develop an innovative farming technique using artificial intelligence (AI), seeing the potential for this technology to boost productivity across Indonesia’s agriculture sector.

The initiative follows news of a farmer from Kretek, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Anto Harmoko, who successfully implemented AI to enhance irrigation in his fields.

“Yes, I plan to invite him. We want to examine the costs and efficiency of this AI-based method,” Sudaryono told B-TV on Monday.

Sudaryono believes AI-based innovations like Anto’s could be beneficial nationwide, particularly for younger farmers eager to adopt new technologies. “Although we’ve used similar tech in other areas, this approach is promising for broader application,” he said.

He added that the ministry would support farmers who introduce agricultural technology innovations, emphasizing a desire to foster new “champions” of agricultural advancement.

“We’ll invite successful innovators, including those from our 3,000 trained millennial farmers. I want to see new champions in agricultural innovation,” he said.

Anto’s unique AI-powered irrigation system has drawn widespread attention on social media. Using an Android device and Google Assistant, Anto controls his farm’s water system remotely, saving water and labor with just a voice command. This method has made irrigation more efficient, with Anto reporting cost savings of up to 10 percent compared to traditional methods.