MIXED INTEGER LINEAR PROGRAMMING FOR OPTIMIZING RICE CULTIVATION RESOURCE ALLOCATION: A CASE STUDY IN PEMATANG SETRAK

Abstract

This study applies Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) to optimize the allocation of rice cultivation resources in nine farmer groups in Pematang Setrak, North Sumatra. This model minimizes production costs through the allocation of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor, taking into account land area and resource availability within a single planting season. The MILP approach was chosen because it represents more realistic decision-making according to field conditions. Fertilizer and pesticide doses are determined based on safe agronomic recommen dations, assumed to be in accordance with field conditions based on relevant agricultural references, and calibrated using actual data from observations and interviews with farmers, where actual data is used as the upper limit of parameter values. The model is implemented using Python and evaluated through sensitivity analysis. The optimization results reduce total production costs from IDR 3,047,060,000 to IDR 2,845,516,500 or IDR 201,543,500 (6.61%). The main savings come from the efficiency of fertilizer and pesticide allocation, while labor remains the dominant cost component. This study shows that the model is effective for use in agricultural operational planning.