30 Nov 2015
President Jokowi in his speech during the 2015 Nusantara Fruits and Flowers Festival (FBBN) opening at the IPB Baranangsiang Campus, Bogor, Saturday (29/11), said that Indonesia needs a revolutionary movement for domestic fruits to correspond with imported fruits which are flooding the domestic market.
"I have ordered the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister so that PTPN (State Plantation Company), which for years has been planting rubber, palm oil, tea, and coffee, to include fruits in its plantation. I imagine if PTPN allocated 10,000 ha, not much, how many tons of fruits would be produced," he said.
According to the President, an area that large is practically insignificant for PTPN, which has hundreds of thousands to millions of ha under its control.
Previously, several PTPNs have read the Nusantara Fruit Pledge with several Regents/Mayors to commit to developing Nusantara fruits on 500,000 ha. "Don’t think that 500 is too little for PTPN, assisted by IPB. I do not want to determine which fruits should be planted, but the ha that have been stated so that it can be implemented professionally," he said.
He also requested that PTPN not only sell their produce in its raw form, but also prepare its industries. For example, the development of oranges must also be accompanied by juice industry.
According to him, it is not only cultivation that should be taken care of, but the market and post-harvesting should also be prepared so continuity can be maintained.
He gave an example when an area massively developed high-quality papayas, but because its market was unprepared, by the second or third harvest, farmers were no longer enthusiastic to develop the commodity. "This is a problem that must be solved in an integrated manner, some plant, some process into finished or semi-finished goods, and others market," he said.
The President emphasised the need to boost Nusantara fruit production while simultaneously promoting per capita fruit consumption as well as educating the young generation to have a fondness for fruit.
"I imagine there will always be fruits on the dinner table of every Indonesian family. This way, we will live healthily while simultaneously making our Nusantara fruit farmers happy," said the President. (ant)
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