IDN
tmindonesia.co.id – A seed company from West Java, PT Tani Murni Indonesia (TMI) will soon go in the vegetable market in the lowlands of Papua, having previously succeeded in supplying seeds to the highlands of Papua last year. TMI National Marketing Manager Yudi Kudiarto said, marketing of TMI seeds would go in the Domberay region, through the city and district of Sorong, Southwest Papua Province.
He added, these seeds will be available there this March. “For the lowland region of Papua, it will start in March. We have also prepared a demo plot plan with farmer groups to educate farmers with quality vegetable seeds and good agricultural practices. One of them is how to sow so that crop yields can be in accordance with the expected amount,” said Yudi in written statement, quoted Thursday (16/3/2023).
“Our staff there work to provide education as well as direct assistance to farmers. We approach farmers to provide information ranging from seeds, pests and diseases to good soil management. We hope that a bigger vegetable market will be built in Papua,” he said. he said.
Throughout 2022, TMI has held farmer meetings and 50 demonstration plots involving 620 indigenous farmers in highland areas such as Jayawijaya and Dogiyai Regencies, with the aim of growing a market for new seed varieties. Meanwhile, in Papua alone, there are 173,180 smallholder households growing vegetables. Even so, 56 percent of vegetables (more than 180 thousand tons) in Papua come from outside the region.
“With such a situation we see there is an opportunity to grow the market for locally produced vegetables. We also want to achieve this through the dissemination of better seed varieties and good agricultural education,” said Yudi. TMI’s expansion into Papua began last year through a partnership with PRISMA, a partnership program between the Australian and Indonesian Governments to grow agricultural markets in rural eastern Indonesia.
Papua land is the focus of this program partly because farmers in the region still have to face a number of big challenges, especially regarding access and information. “Access to good inputs, assistance, and also marketing. Market issues are the most important for farmers in Papua. Because farmers have difficulty getting access, their productivity is still low,” said PRISMA Regional Economic Coordinator, Andreas Wakum.
Andreas said, PRISMA cooperates with private partners such as TMI because the private sector can provide sustainability in terms of providing inputs and providing information about good cultivation, as well as access to markets.
Sumber : finance.detik.com
