Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Professor in Economy, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Professor Muhamad Firdaus thought that horticulture sub sector has highly business prospect because it has clear market and directly influences to improve the economy.

“Besides, horticultural products could hire many workers and the products are healthy to increase immunity,” he said in a talkshow ‘Professor Talk’ in Ewindo, Saturday (19/12/2020), as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

He thought that horticulture is the future business that would have stable income because the production process, starting from the planting to harvest, would not spend much time and could commercially be sold.

“Horticulture is better in prospect and widely open in the future both for the main markets and export. We need to maintain the sustainable agribusiness by increasing the productivity through precise agriculture,” he said.

Besides, it is the good business model to fulfill spare time because of social distancing as the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the people start realizing the healthy life style by consuming agricultural products.

“The economy nationally and globally would recover in 2021 as vaccine of Covid-19 starts being used. That is why horticulture sub sector is the future promising business,” he said.

But Firdaus also hoped that the government and every stakeholders, including the academy could support to develop horticultural production out of Java massively and should be monitored in every period.

For information, the government through Ministry of Agriculture Indonesian Republic is developing food barn called food estate in Central Kalimantan Province and District of Humbang Hasundutan, North Sumatera. Horticultural product is one category in the prior program to develop.

Besides, Ministry of Agriculture just launched smart green- house to have hydroponic method within automatic control based on sensor or long distance. Smart green-house control could even use smartphone in android – base to arrange the moisture, temperature, nutrition, and weather.

Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) encouraged that smart green - house should be integrated with edu-tourism concept in agricultural training centers in Indonesia. SYL thought that smart green-house is the reflection of modern agriculture which prioritizes intelligent artificial technology.

“We have to know that our agriculture both yesterday, now, and in the future is the pillar of economy in this nation. One thing for sure, we could not try the old days – circumstance. We need to develop smart green-house as it is in politeknik pembangunan pertanian (polbangtan). This would make our cultivation more optimal,” he said.

Head of Badan Penyuluhan dan Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia Pertanian (BPPSDMP), Ministry of Agriculture, Dedi Nursyamsi said that smart green-house is the latest innovation that could control micro-climate temperature in a modern agriculture. It is believed to produce qualified food to consume and to increase exports.

"Smart green-house is actually part of smart agriculture that we are developing as what Minister SYL told. The point is that it is modern agriculture by advantaging technology information, namely internet of thing or artificial intelligence. It means that everything here uses sensor complete by the big data,” he said. (A2)