Forestry ministry holds discussion on forest preservation

Antara News, Monday, November 29, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The forestry ministry held a national seminar to discuss forest preservation and productivity, at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) on Monday.

The seminar dubbed "The contribution of the Research Department in Promoting Forest Preservation and Productivity" was officially opened by the forestry ministry`s director general for Forestry productivity development, a press statement of the forestry ministry said here Monday.

Participants of the seminar included forestry researchers, managers, government officials, state-owned company officials, representatives of private forestry industry and NGO activists.

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Bogor’s Silk House works with farmers

Theresia Sufa , The Jakarta Post , Bogor | Tue, 09/01/2009 11:48 AM

Natural spinner: Rumah Sutera Alam is currently the only cottage industry in West Java’s Bogor to work on silk yarn spinning. JP/Theresia Sufa

Rumah Sutra Alam or the Natural Silk House in Ciapus district, Bogor regency, is the cottage industry most frequently visited by students, lecturers and retirees across Indonesia.

In addition to its mulberry plantations, the natural silk center also has a silkworm nursery and undertakes silk yarn spinning and silk cloth weaving.

Visitors to the house mostly wish to learn how to breed silkworms and at the same time observe the process of spinning and weaving.

Owner Tatang Gozali Gandasasmita started his silk yarn spinning business in 2001, with the cottage industry set up on a 2.5-hectare block of land, as something to do during retirement.

“As a retiree I love keeping busy in a way that benefits a lot of people, and this spinning work provides jobs for youths in the Bogor vicinity and helps raise the income of mulberry growers,” he said.

“I call it a silk house because the entire process of making silk takes place here.”

The former employee of Bandung’s PTP-15 state estate company explained that it all begins with the hatching of silkworm eggs that he buys from Candi Roto, Central Java, and Soppeng, South Sulawesi.

“We buy 15 to 20 boxes of silkworm eggs each month, each containing 25,000 eggs,” Tatang said.

“Two weeks later, after they hatch into larvae, we deliver them to mulberry growers, who nurse the young worms to develop into cocoons.”

In running the silk industry, Tatang works with farmers from Bogor, Sukabumi and Cianjur, all in West Java.

“We have 80 farmers as partners but only 40 of them focus on mulberry planting, while the rest grow vegetables as their main crops, handling mulberries as their side business,” he said.

So far, Tatang added, his cocoon production has reached only about half a ton per month, compared with his industry’s monthly capacity of around 2 tons.

“We’re still short of cocoons as we need 2 tons a month for spinning into silk yarn. So we’re trying to approach more farmers, particularly in Bogor, in order to raise silkworms that we supply on the condition that they first have their own mulberry plantations to feed the worms,” he said, adding that he pays Rp 25,000 per kg of cocoons produced, based on national standards.

Downstream process: Workers at Rumah Sutra Alam further weave the spun yarn into silk cloth. JP/Theresia Sufa

The hatching of worms and their growth into cocoons takes 30 days. The cocoons are then spun into silk yarn for further sale, mostly to weavers in Garut, Tasikmalaya and Cirebon, all in West Java, at a price of Rp 350,000 per kg. A cocoon produces around 800 to 1,000 meters of yarn on average; the remaining yarn is woven for sale to any visitors to the silk house.

The woven fabric in the silk house is sold at prices ranging from Rp 50,000 to Rp 3 million depending on the thickness of the material — the thicker the material, the more expensive, because it consumes a lot more yarn.

Besides plain silk cloth, there are also pieces with batik motifs. The silk batik is processed in Cirebon and Pekalongan in Central Java, which usually takes four months to complete.

“I’m very eager to help mulberry growers to develop their business by also cultivating silkworms, so that every time the Bogor regency administration and the Makassar Natural Silk Center offer aid to boost our silk house, I always recommend that the aid be given to mulberry farmers,” Tatang said.

A gift from nature: The cottage industry required monthly some two tons of silk cocoons to be processed into silk yarn. JP/Theresia Sufa

I’ve made a proposal for aid to develop silkworm nurseries for all mulberry farmers in Bogor, in response to the Makassar silk center’s offer. When they join the silkworm raising effort, we won’t face cocoon shortages anymore.”

Ilyas, a mulberry farmer who lives in Pasir Eurih village in Bogor’s Tamansari district, said he started growing mulberries in 2001, after receiving training in the method of mulberry planting from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). He owns a 3,500-meter-square block of land for his mulberry trees; his main focus is rice paddy.

“I’m growing mulberries only as a side job because I earn very little from the trees. Mulberry leaves are harvested every two months and I sell them to the silk house for Rp 300,000 per ton,” he said.

“I can increase my income if I join silkworm breeding, but I have no proper place to do it. The nursery for silkworm raising has to be sterile and protected from predators.”

According to the secretary of Bogor regency’s Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Office, Siti Nurianty, the silk house is the only silk processing place in Bogor.

“We hope this silk house can truly serve as a silk center and at the same time a tourist destination for silk cloth shopping,” she said. “We therefore always offer our assistance for its development and invite Pak Tatang to various exhibitions. But the most important thing is to support mulberry farmers’ silkworm breeding by providing proper facilities.”

RI, Netherlands establish partnership in horticulture

The Jakarta Post, 7 March 2009

BOGOR: The Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) and the Indonesian Netherlands Association (INA) are planning to establish a center for the development of horticulture research and business.

Both institutions have agreed to set up the "Horti Chain Center Indonesia" in an effort to widen business opportunities in horticulture, IPB's official website announced Thursday.

The establishment of the center was marked by an MOU signing between IPB rector Herry Suhardiyanto and INA director Elmar Bouma at the IPB Convention Center on Wednesday.

The center will facilitate agricultural entrepreneurs to update the latest technologies and communicate with related stakeholders to build supply chains they need to develop their businesses, since Indonesia boasts abundant plant species, Elmar said.

It is also expected to improve farmers' welfare by opening greater markets both domestically and internationally, he added. -JP

Decorative plants lift welfare of Bogor farmers

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor, West Java

Hundreds of farmers in Bogor's Tajurhalang village have improved their welfare thanks to decorative plants.

Before, the farmers, who live in a valley near Mt. Salak, were poor. They planted bananas, cassava and pineapple, but only managed to earn Rp 200,000 (US$22) to Rp 300,000 a month. The money was barely enough to meet their daily needs, let alone send their children to school.

Then the farmers joined the farming group Violces. Afterward, they decided to shift to decorative plants, which according to interviewed farmers, were more profitable than what they used to grow.

"The profit from selling anthurium or poinsettia seedlings can reach up to Rp 15 million a month," Cecep Suryadi, a farmer, said.

Anthurium has become a trendy decorative plant among some circles in large cities.

Cecep said his income from growing and selling decorative plants was enough to send his children to university. One of his children is a graduate of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), one of the most reputable universities in the country.

"Before, we couldn't keep cows. We were poor. We could not pay for our rice, let alone pay for our children's education. We ate bananas and cassava, leftovers from our unsold crops," Cecep said.

He said the popularity of the anthurium might eventually fade and prices go down, but he was not worried because he grew other plants as well.

Ukas Supendi, another farmer in Tajurhalang, agreed with Cecep.

"I prefer growing bromelia, a kind of decorative pineapple plant. Its price tends to go up instead of dropping," Ukas said, adding that he sold bromelia for between Rp 3,000 and Rp 1 million.

He has used the money from his new business to send his children to school, renovate his house and expand his farm.

From growing decorative plants, Ibu Ikah, a mother of three, has been able to further her children's education. She said she made Rp 1.5 million per month from her business, enough for her "children's education and daily needs".

Although all residents of Tajurhalang earn money growing decorative plants, there is no competition among them.

"We never compete. If a customer asks for something I don't sell, I will get it from a fellow farmer. We help each other in marketing our plants," said Ukas.

Together, resident have improved not only their own lives, but the life of the entire village.

The village has now clinched its status as the center of decorative plants in Bogor. The village, which used to be underdeveloped and dirty, is now green, with every yard filled with decorative plants.

Every weekend, the village is swarmed with buyers coming from Jakarta and surrounding areas.

Tajurhalang village head Odih said there were 300 farmers in the village.

"We just received financial assistance of Rp 75 million from the regency administration," Odih said. "I hope we can continue to be the largest decorative plant center in the regency."

Diding Khaerudin: Making life beautiful for farmers

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Farmers in Tajurhalang, Bogor, West Java, never seemed to be able to get ahead until they switched to growing decorative plants at the advice of Diding Khaerudin.

"I was concerned by how hard farmers worked just to produce a few hundred thousand rupiah. Therefore, I encouraged them to grow decorative plants instead of taro, pineapples and bananas," Diding said.

Born in Bogor on Dec. 22, 1964, Diding has transformed the valley of Mount Salak into a decorative plant center.

Diding, who graduated from Muslim junior high school Tsanawiyah, used to work at the PTP XI state plantation at Mount Salak, but resigned in 1996. He found work as a gardener at a golf course in Tangerang, but was more interested in farming and eventually returned to his home village.

Like other farmers in the village, in 1997 and 1998 he planted bananas, pineapples and taro. But he quickly learned that the farmers were suffering losses as the result of the low prices of their produce.

A farmer might spend Rp 1.2 million on seedlings, fertilizer and transportation, for example, but only make Rp 200,000-300,000. As a result, the farmers were becoming poorer and poorer.

"We cannot make a living from farming. We don't even have the money to buy rice. We end up eating the produce we can't sell," he said.

Diding was determined to improve the lives of the farmers but he did not know how. Things started to change in 1999 when he met Benny Tjia, the technical advisor of PT. Mandiri Jaya Flora, who owned fields of Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) in Mount Salak valley.

"As soon as I met Pak Benny I knew I had found the answer. I learned all I could about growing plants," he said.

After receiving Rp 500,000 in start-up capital from Benny, Diding asked the other farmers in his village to join him. But most of them refused. They kept on growing bananas, pineapples and taro, and eating the fruit and tubers they could not sell.

Only five farmers agreed to grow the new plants and all of them received financial support from Benny. Diding then formed a farmers' group called Violces, making himself its head and the five farmers as members.

They grew various kinds of decorative plants and once a month Benny came to supervise them. The farmers chose the plants because they were easy to grow and there was a good market for them. A plant sells for Rp 3,000-10,000.

"I earn between Rp 1.5 million and 2 million a month. Some members make even more," Diding said.

Their success prompted other farmers in Tajurhalang village to follow suit. Today the Violces Farmers' Group has 180 members who grow many kinds of flowers and decorative plants, including anthurium. Their monthly turnover has reached Rp 120 million.

Diding and the other members of the farmers' group do not have to worry anymore about feeding their families or their children's education.

Tajurhalang village, which used to be dirty and gloomy, is now clean and neat. Even though the farmers live in simple houses, they are surrounded by beautiful gardens. On Saturdays and Sundays the village attracts visitors who come to buy the plants.

Observing the fast growth of the decorative plant business in the village, the Bogor regency administration finally disbursed Rp 75 million to help the Violces Farmers' Group expand their business.

"Thanks to the success of the gardening business I have been able to give my children a good education. One of them now works as a teacher," said Diding, who is often asked to talk at seminars at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture.

Microsoft provides IT access to farmers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

PT Microsoft Indonesia, the local unit of U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp., will provide online services and IT training to 64,800 farmers in 15 provinces over the next two years.

As part of the plan, Microsoft donated US$937,700 to the ASEAN Foundation and Formasi Indonesia, a local NGO, on Tuesday to fund the establishment of 100 community-learning centers (CTC) by the end of September.

"According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), farmers account for 45 million people. If we can provide them with access to IT, the positive effects on the whole community will be significant," said Microsoft president director Tony Chen.

The CTCs are expected to not only facilitate the provision of training to the 64,800 targeted farmers, but also to provide Internet access to 220,000 people, and introduce IT to three million rural dwellers.

Fifty-eight of the new CTCs will be built in six provinces in Java, including Jakarta, Banten and West Java, while 42 others will be established in nine provinces outside Java, including North Sumatra, Lampung and Bali.

Chen said the effects would include an increase in farmers' incomes and a decrease in unemployment and migration to the big cities.

"By being given access to IT and being taught how to use it, farmers will be able to develop their businesses, better market their products, expand their markets and obtain all sorts of agricultural information."

The 100 new CTCs come on top of the 30 CTCs that Microsoft has already established in 12 provinces since 2003. By the end of last year, it had donated $1.6 million in cash and software worth $3 million under its "IT-for-Farmers" scheme.

"Young farmers showed great enthusiasm about technology during the previous program," Chen said.

Besides teaming up with the ASEAN Foundation and Formasi, a networking organization concerned with the interests of farmers and small enterprises, Microsoft has also been working with the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), which helped design the IT-for-Farmers program.

The IT penetration rate in Indonesia, according to Chen, is very low. There are currently only six million PCs for Indonesia's 240 million people, meaning that the penetration rate is only 2.4 percent. Internet penetration is somewhat better at close to 10 percent.

LIPI publishes book on Javanese biodiversity

JAKARTA (Antara): The National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) launched a book Thursday about bio-diversity on Java Island titled The Mountain Flora of Java.

Written by botanist CCGJ van Stennis, the original book was first published in 1972 in Leiden, the Netherlands. Stennis worked in Bogor Botanical Park between 1927 and 1949.

The biological head researcher at the institute, Dedy Darmaedi, said the book was very valuable for the development of botanical science in Indonesia.

"Stennis' interest in recording and reviewing Indonesia's flora, especially those found on Java mountains, had resulted in many valuable papers," Dedy was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

LIPI cooperates with the World Bank to publish the book after acquiring permission from the original publisher, E.J. Brill in Leiden. The book contains illustrations of 456 native Javanese flora species.

Orchid exhibit offers colorful experience

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In commemoration of its 50th anniversary, the Indonesian Orchid Association is holding a 10-day exhibition at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

Through April 22, visitors can enjoy a stunning array of orchid varieties, including local varieties such as Dendrobium fatahillah and Coelogyne celebensis, at the amusement park's Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum.

Officially opened last Saturday, the exhibition is a meeting place for breeders, collectors and hobbyists.

"I hope that our 2007 Orchid Festival will bring together everyone involved in orchids," association chairwoman Mufidah Jusuf Kalla told Antara during last Saturday's exhibition opening.

Exhibition coordinator Rossi Anton Apriyantono said the festival would showcase Indonesia's latest orchid hybrids, allowing visitors to get in direct contact with producers.

According to Rossi, despite Indonesia's richness of orchid varieties, the country still lags behind neighboring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand when it comes to gaining a share of the global orchid market.

"Singapore will host the World Orchid Conference for the second time in 2011, while Indonesia has never once been appointed to host the event," Rossi said.

Indonesia's share of the global orchid market stands at about US$1.5 million annually, just a fraction of the total yearly orchid trade of $250 million, Agricultural Minister Anton Apriyantono said.

Illega logging is seen as a major threat to the variety of orchids in Indonesia, as more and more species are lost.

Although collectors and hobbyists seem to be in the forefront of orchid conservation, they also contribute to the problem of the lack of mass cultivation of rare orchid species, Anton said.

"Some of them want their rare flowers to remain rare and expensive," he said.

Most of Indonesia's more valuable species, like the Paphiopedilum javanicum, Phalaenopsis javanica and Phalaenopsis gigantia, now often end up in the hands of collectors in Taiwan, Thailand and European countries.

To support Indonesian orchid exports, the Agricultural Ministry is planning to scrap quarantine fees on agricultural products.

RI, Netherlands conduct joint research on 'Solanaceae'

BOGOR, W Java (Antara): Indonesia and the Netherlands will continue a joint research to develop the family of egg-plant locally known as Solanaceae (Indosol), a spokesperson of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) said on Thursday.

"The research will last until 2011," said Henny Windarti, quoting the coordinator of the Indosol Program from Wageningen University and Research Centre, Prof. Richard Visser, who visited the IPB campus two weeks ago.

The family of solanaceae, mainly tomato, was chosen out of some families proposed as the main focus of the joint research, she said.

She added the family of solanaceae was also one of the high-valued agricultural produces in the two countries.