Ministry Of Agriculture Supports Farmers To Increase Sales Of Solar Ubi In The Domestic Market

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - The Directorate General (Ditjen) of Food Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) supports farmers to increase sales of sweet potatoes in the domestic market, because this commodity has high economic value.

Director General (Dirjen) of Food Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture Suwandi in Cirebon, West Java, Tuesday, July 2, said this support was provided through a local food diversification program, which focuses mainly on inviting people to consume sweet potatoes and their various processed products. This kind of program, he said, could open wider market access for sweet potato farmers to sell their crops to several regions. Local food consumption like this is extraordinary, especially sweet potatoes. We strive for people to love domestic products such as this commodity," he said, as reported by Antara.

Selain itu, pihaknya berupaya mengoptimalkan produksi ubi jalar dengan memberikan pelatihan teknis kepada petani. Kemudian memastikan standar kualitas hasil panen komoditas ini dapat memenuhi kebutuhan pasar.Suwandi menyebutkan dengan skema tersebut, para petani dapat menikmati harga jual ubi jalar yang lebih baik dan pendapatan mereka selalu stabil.Ia menekankan program tersebut juga bertujuan guna mendukung ketahanan pangan nasional, serta pemberdayaan ekonomi petani di daerah.“Justru untuk di dalam negeri (potensi pasar ubi jalar) masih terbuka, bisa dilakukan diversifikasi pangan. Permintaan ke luar negeri juga tinggi. Dari sini kita tingkatkan untuk tujuan negara eksisting, juga mencoba ke negara-negara baru,” ujarnya.

Furthermore, Suwandi said that the area of planting for sweet potato commodities in Indonesia reaches an average of 80,000 hectares per year.

From the area of planting, he added, farmers can harvest sweet potatoes with a production amount of around 1.5 million tons per year. "With this potential, we also encourage domestic sales while increasing the number of exports," he said.