This study identifies potential business partners and investment opportunities for the IFC to consider in future development of the horticulture sector. The report details consumer, distribution and retails trends, horticultural production, exports and imports, processed horticultural products and investment trends and constraints. The report also profiles East Java, South Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Lampung and Bali encompassing regional investment, and constraints and opportunities for future development.

The paper examines the adoption of site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) by maize farmers in North Sumatra and its impact on production and farmers' income. The SSNM introduced to farmers was recommended by a study conducted in the region in 2004-2007: 160 kg ha-1 N, 72 kg ha-1 P2O5 and 90 kg ha-1 K2O. The study also disseminated a new high-yielding variety of maize together with recommendations for planting density and the number of seeds per hole. Research was carried out in five sites in Tigabinanga sub-district—a dryland farming region located 600-700m above mean sea level.