Agricom.id, BOGOR - Ministry of Agriculture has run Propaktani (Program Pengembangan Korporasi Tanaman Pangan) since 2019. In 2020 the program keeps being developed and the ministry invited the farmers from 14 districts that would manage the food plantation corporates to increase the capacity.

General Director of Food Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi said that the corporate system has been tested since last year in some regions, such as, Tuban, Lampung, South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, and others. The results were good. That is why in this year, it would be replicated in 130 districts.

"Just like Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo told to develop the agriculture in corporate or industrial – base, the pattern would be monitored and developed and next year, it would be expanded too in more regions. The agriculture corporate would increase not only the production and the farmers’ welfare but also the commodity in export-base,” Suwandi told in the event, Sosialisasi dan Peningkatan Kapasitas SDM Calon Pengelola Korporasi Petani Tanaman Pangan in Bogor, Tuesday (4/8/2020), as in the official written statement to Agricom.id.

He also explained that the first principle in corporate is the cultivation approach within the wide overlay scale, but should not be one overlay covering (5.000 hectares). It could be done in groups or clusters covering more than 500 hectares in 10 spots in total to be 5.000 hectares overlay. This is what Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo told to realize the agriculture development in corporate – base.

"The second principle is the integrated farming within the supporting and main commodities. He gave examples that in Indramayu, the main commodity is paddy, involves 3 - 4 sub districts and managed by 1 corporate. The supporting commodities are vegetables, chili, onion, coconut, breeding ducks, cows, and so on,” he said.

“The other is corn corporate in Lombok Timur by involving 81 farmers’ groups and they have the off-takers to get kredit usaha rakyar (KUR) and get partnership with the seed, fertilizer companies, and PT. Jasindo,” he said.

He also told that Propaktani covers the integrated on farm, the downstream, the derivative industries, up to the marketing. The integrated system covers the infrastructure, agriculture tools, the cultivation starting from the planting, harvesting, and post-harvest process up to the marketing.

“Not only that, the institutions of the farmers’ groups should get the better class – could be in the form of CV, union, or village enterprises. The most important in the institution is the management within good coordinators. That is why, this activity is necessary to know and get the corporate coordinators to share and inform to strengthen the corporates,” he mentioned.

The next thing to do, he continued, is it needs synergy among Propaktani, the finance, the investment, and export. The regions and clusters should advantage the location available, should manage and optimize the sources of fund independently or from KUR or others.

“Within the regional development system run professionally, ministry of agriculture believed that the farmers’ class could have better class to be corporate,” he said.

In the same location, Head of Paddy, Agriculture and Plantation Agency, Central Java Province, Edi Darmanto said that in Central Java, there have been samples of corporates running well, such as, in Demak, Rembang, and Karanganyar. They could get turnover up to billions of rupiah. Of course, this increases the farmers’ income.

“Just like in Karanganyar, in the beginning, the farmers’ groups was as rumah pintar petani, as one stop service where the counselors and the farmers met, shared information, and solved the issues. Finally the group developed and now becomes the advance corporate. There have been infrastructures, starting from making union, counseling center, making upaya pelayanan jasa alsintan (UPJA), rice milling unit, and having spots to dry (commodities)," he said.

“They are proposing KUR to expand their capacity. Hopefully they get it immediately. This could be the sample to other corporates that ministry of agriculture would pioneer,” he said.

Sharing the experience when making corporate, Chairman of Gapoktan Giri Mukti, Banten, Wawan told that the group made the corporate since 2018. As the chairman of lembaga masyarakat desa hutan (LMDH), there have been stories to tell since 2018 until now.

“For Lebak is different from other regions. The corn was planted in 2017 but the corporate started in 2018. We just want to motivate that others could go better,” he said.

He also admitted that the issues they face are about human resources and more infrastructures. But the money from selling corn is available, could construct the way, and get KUR done by 12 farmers.

“The KUR would be given by banks to our group,” he said. (A2)