Entrepreneurs engaged in Agribusiness are still very few
What is really and most importantly required for an entrepreneur to develop is not only the funds (capital), but an opportunity as well. This was revealed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PT. Saratoga, Sandiaga S. Uno in the Talk Show ‘Qualified Human Resources (HR) in Agribusiness, Who Needs them?’ on Saturday (31/3) at the Jakarta Convention Center. This talk show was part of The 6th Agrinex ‘Expo 2012 ‘Agribusiness for All’, held in cooperation with the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Performax and the Ministry of Agriculture.
"The government has set a policy for a policy for increasing rice production to 5-7 million tons per year and self-sufficiency in sugar, soy beans and beef. This should be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to move forwards in the agribusiness sector, but this does not happen. Young entrepreneurs are more interested in contract business, exports and imports, and trade," said Sandiaga.
Moreover, it is very unfortunate that less than 10 percent of young entrepreneurs who are members of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) are engaged in agribusiness, in contrast to the great potential and opportunities of agribusiness in Indonesia. This is because Indonesia does not provide space conducive for the birth of agribusiness entrepreneurs. Often a new entrepreneur who tries agribusiness should stop it because it is inhibited by the various rules and lack of infrastructure. "Sometimes we are trapped into an instant thought – wishing a lot of agribusiness entrepreneurs to be born quickly. To become a successful entrepreneur requires a minimum of 3-5 years doing the business. When you have an established business, you can open job opportunities and contribute to gross domestic product (GDP)," said Sandiaga.
Vice Rector of Business and Communication, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Dr. Ir. Arif Soeroso Imam emphasized the importance of higher education in agriculture to improve the quality of human resources in the field of agribusiness. "The poor progress of Indonesian agriculture results from the low morality of the majority of practitioners in agribusiness and agriculture. IPB seeks to equip its students various forms of basic sciences, soft skill, and entrepreneurship programs which are very valuable later on when they graduate," said Dr. Imam. Responding to the question from the Head of National News Agency (LKBN) or Antara, Aat Surya Syafaat who was then a talk show moderator that IPB’s graduates are working in various fields including publication, Dr. Imam said that the results of IPB survey show that 35 percent of graduates are still engaged in agriculture, 65 percent in agriculture-related fields. "The flexible capacity of IPB graduates to work in various fields shows the superiority of education in IPB that can produce capable human resources that can work in various sectors, especially agriculture," said Dr. Imam (Mtd)
