IPB University together with the Alumni Family Association of the Faculty of Agriculture held the Indonesian Fruit Gathering on (17/09). The workshop, which is a part of the Nusantara Flower and Fruit Festival (FBBN), took place at the IPB International Convention Center and was broadcast online through the Zoom Meeting platform.
FBBN activities will be held again in 2022 after two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 Indonesian Fruit Gathering has the theme Optimizing the Potential of Local Fruits to Support the 2045 World Food Barn Target. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together flower and fruit stakeholders of the archipelago.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Dodik Ridho Nurrochmat said that the fruit of the archipelago, as a superior commodity, actually has the potential to be a solution to land use and improve the community’s economy.
“Therefore, massive efforts from various stakeholders are needed to synergize and make unutilized forest land productive,” said Prof. Dodik Ridho, Vice Rector of IPB University in the field of International Affairs, Collaboration and Alumni Relations.
Meanwhile, Director of Fruits and Floriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Liferdi Lukman said that Indonesian fruit production continues to increase every year. However, the level of exports is still very low, which has not yet reached one percent of total production. On the other hand, fruit consumption in Indonesia is still relatively low.
“The Ministry of Agriculture’s program in the form of Fruit Villages and micro-enterprises in several places has started to produce, it is necessary to conceptualize the fruit market. We also encourage people to form corporations to build strength. Hopefully, from this event, solutions and recommendations can be generated,” said Dr Liferdi Lukman optimistically.
The discussion session was guided by Dr. Awang Maharijaya who is a Lecturer in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University. There were five invited speakers including Prof. Slamet Susanto who is the Chairman of the Indonesian Horticultural Association. He discussed the role of academics in the Indonesian fruit industry.
On the other hand, Dr. Reza Tirtawinata, who is an expert on Indonesian tropical fruits, discussed strategies to increase commercial fruit production in meeting market demand. He shared strategies for cultivating superior varieties through tabulampot and top working.
Efforts to develop MSMEs in marketing the fruit of the archipelago were conveyed by Dr Musdalifah Machmud as the Deputy for Food and Agribusiness Coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy of the Republic of Indonesia.
Sutta Dharmasaputra, who is the Chief Editor of Kompas Daily, discussed the role of digitalization in increasing public awareness of local fruit consumption. Meanwhile, Dr Miftah Farid as Director of Export Product Development of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia discussed the opportunities for local fruit in the Indonesian fruit industry.
“The challenge in penetrating the export market is that the first is that the quality of the fruit must enter export standards, the second is to implement sustainable agriculture, and the last is that the packaging and labels must be in accordance with the destination market,” concluded Dr Miftah Farid. (SWP/ra)