Increased the Excitement of UKM through Forum of Investment and Fruit Business of Nusantara
In an effort to increase the excitement of business of the Small and Medium Enterprises (UKM), Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) organized Forum of Investment and Fruit Business of Nusantara of the Scale of the Small and Medium Enterprises, Friday (27/11), in IPB International Convention Center (IICC), Bogor. This Forum was one of a series of activities of Festival of Flowers and Fruit of Nusantara (FBBN) 2015. “The forum bringing together between businessmen is also as a follow-up movement of the Orange Revolution initiated by IPB in 2013 ago to campaign fruit and flowers of nusantara,” said Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (UKM), Drs. Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga accompanied by Rector of IPB, Prof.Dr.Ir. Herry Suhardiyanto and Mayor of Bogor, Dr. Bima Arya at the time of the opening of FBBN 2015.
According to the Minister, there should be a synergy between the ministry and the university, in this case it was suitable. Ministry of Cooperatives and UKM were synergizing with IPB, because the potential of Indonesian local fruit was extraordinary.
On that occasion, the Rector of IPB conveyed, the fruit of Nusantara was superior to imported fruit. "Fruit of Nusantara is available year round, takes turns, tastes better and more diverse," explained the Rector of IPB. Fruit of Nusantara had a great export potential. Based on the record of Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) from 2009 to 2013, several types of fruit of Nusantara had high productivity and increased from year to year. Some fruit were including: mangosteen, melon, duku, star fruit, salak, papaya, pineapple, avocado, passion fruit and durian. Even in 2013, the export value of fruit was dominated by the pineapple fruit commodity by 91.1 percents of the total value of exports of the processed fruit of Indonesia.
The Rector of IPB explained that the potential of fruit of nusantara which was so great still could be optimized by developing a system of good farming. This was because many farmers did not pay attention to the cultivation and the efficient farming methods. “It is necessary to have the efforts for strengthening the institutional, the leadership, the innovation, the technology, the competent human resources, the system development, the supply chain and the fruit development infrastructure of Nusantara. Therefore, IPB initiates the Orange Revolution supported by the President. Hopefully, with this activity, it can increase the fanfare of the fruit production of Nusantara and be obtained the solution from the difficulty to invest of the fruit of Nusantara," hoped the Rector.
The Mayor of Bogor, Dr. Bima Arya, also supported the efforts to conserve the fruit of Nusantara through the Orange Revolution. "I fully support the Orange Revolution. Many fruit from ancient times are now hard to come by. In accordance with the terminology of revolution, there is a need for speed. We hope with this FBBN activity, the Orange Revolution can be driven continuously. I am grateful to IPB which retains the activity annually,” explained Dr. Bima (as)
