Consolidation Solutions to Confront the Attacks ofImported Vegetables and Fruits
The fruit consumption level of Indonesiais still far behind the WHO recommendations, though we have to import fruits from 22 countries in the world that spent 12 billion dollars per year of our foreign exchange. "If we want to increase the level of our fruit consumption according to WHO recommendations, then we should take the advantage of our own fruit products (develop fruit estates) or increase our fruitsimport," said Prof. Dr.. Sobir, Head of Research Center for Tropical Horticulture (PKHT)-LPPM IPB, as the guest speaker at one of the seminar series on Festival of Fruits and Flowers, at the IICC, Bogor, 17 May 2013.
According to its position the Indonesian fruits are considered to be exotic fruits. In addition, our local fruit varieties are abundant. However, if those fruits are not conserved, later on they will extinct. Current conditions, fruit farmers are actors at the small scale level. The utilization of the appropriate technology will be expensive and certainly their bargainingpower will be lower, and their propose requests for capitals won’t be acceptable by the creditors.
"If we don’t want to import fruits and vegetables, then farmers consolidation is the solution, but surely they will have social constraints. There should have strong management, land ownership and farming management, should be controlled by farmer groups. So that the utilization of the appropriate technology will be cheaper, "he said.To limitize the imported fruits, the government restricted only 4 entry ports will be opened.
"Indonesia has signed a contract with the WTO which we won’t reduce the quota. Instead, we have to reduce the entrance ports to into ports with the less faclities. If we make the importation complicated, then our exports will have similar actions by other countries, "said Dr.Caturas the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture on the same occasion.
The Revolusi Orangewhich was initiated by IPB and the team, have mapped the area suitable for the production of local fruits by utilizing the appropriate technology. Also in this book has proposed to limitizethe good prospect varieties which might be highly absorbed in the market. (Wied).
