Vice President Wants Islamic Boarding Schools To Become Agricultural Models In Indonesia

Vice President Maruf Amin/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin wants Islamic boarding schools to become the basis of a modern agricultural model in Indonesia.

"With high technology, good product quality, and having an open market in modern markets. This model is used as a pilot project that will be developed in all Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia," said Vice President Ma'ruf Amin at the launch of the Corporatization pilot project. Agriculture to Support Kopontren-Based Halal Value Chain Ecosystem, at Al Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School, Bandung, West Java, Tuesday 22 March.

The vice president said that pesantren had a function other than as an educational center that educates students to understand religion and a center for da'wah, as well as a center for community empowerment so that pesantren is a place of production and finance. "This production of the Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School is a model that we want to develop," he said.

According to the Vice President, the model developed at the Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School has adopted technology from various countries, such as the Netherlands and Japan, so that the products are of international standard.

"Al-Ittifaq is a training place that will be used as a model, a training place for various agricultural digitalization Islamic boarding schools," said the Vice President, quoted by Antara.

Meanwhile, to support Islamic boarding school capital, the Vice President said that there were already four institutions involved, namely the cooperative Revolving Fund Management Institution (LBDB), Bank Indonesia (BI), Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), and Baznaz.

"We continue to develop this capital so that LPDB is also strengthened, as well as BSI and BI as facilitators. The Ministry of Cooperatives will take further roles with various agencies in each province for agricultural development," said the Vice President.

Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki Teten Masduki said the Al-Ittifaq pesantren cooperative (kopontren) is a modern, cooperative-based corporate ecosystem.

"This means that corporate farming is not based on corporations, but based on smallholder farmers, people with narrow lands who are now in the ecosystem through the Al-Ittifaq kopontren, so starting from market access, using modern production technology and financing," said Teten Masduki.

The production of Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School, according to Teten, has reached 7 tons per day and has also collaborated with other Islamic boarding schools to produce vegetables and fruit to be supplied to Al-Ittifaq whose demand reaches 56 tons.

Meanwhile, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said Islamic boarding schools in West Java had developed around 3,000 businesses.

"About 17 percent of them are digital, feed fish using cellphones, feed chickens, water plants, including Al-Ittifaq as well, so everything is done with the internet of things. That is the future of West Java food according to the direction of the Vice President, which will be developed," said Ridwan Kamil

According to Ridwan Kamil, the business pattern at Al-Ittifaq Islamic boarding school is also cooperating with other Islamic boarding schools.

"So, the small pesantren will be mentored and facilitated by selling them via Al-Itifaq. Because sometimes, from West Java Islamic boarding schools directly to the market, there are many dynamics that end up harming, so it's better to unite at the door of Al-Itifaq, then Al-Itifaq who Negotiating with the market so God willing, all Islamic boarding schools are expected to have a business model close to what is here," explained Ridwan Kamil.