In Order To Maintain Quality, The Situbondo Regency Government Encourages Coffee Farmers To Use Organic Fertilizer

Situbondo Regent Karna Suswandi picked up coffee at a coffee harvest event on the slopes of Mount Argopuro, Baderan Village, Sumbermalang District. Sunday (4/6/2023) ANTARA

SITUBONDO - The Situbondo Regency Government, East Java, encourages local coffee farmers to return to using organic fertilizers to reduce dependence on urea fertilizer use and also maintain coffee quality. Situbondo Regent Karna Suswandi said that continuous use of urea fertilizer or continuous can affect the quality of coffee, and so it automatically has an impact on the selling value. Using urea fertilizer continuously the quality of the coffee is not good and urea only greens the leaves. "That's why we invite farmers to return to using organic fertilizer, God willing, heavy coffee fruit and quality are maintained," he said after the harvest of coffee plants owned by farmers who are members of the Sumber Makmur Coffee Farmer Association, Sumbermalang District, Situbondo Regency, East Java, Antara, Sunday, June 4. Bung Karna, as the Regent of Situbondo Karna Suswandi is called, stated that his party had asked the local Agriculture and Food Security Service to provide training on the manufacture of organic fertilizers to groups of coffee farmers on the slopes of Mount Argopuro. According to him, raw materials for making organic fertilizers are easy to obtain, such as cow's livestock and goat's waste, weathering plant remains. "God willing, the training for making organic fertilizers will be realized soon, because organic fertilizers are easy to obtain," he said. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Association of Coffee Farmers Sumber Makmur Situbondo, Joko Santoso said that the Arabica and robusta types of people's coffee plantations on the slopes of Mount Argopuro have an average productivity of 20 tons per hectare per year (one season). "People's coffee grounds in Sumbermalang District are not inferior to other areas, including in the Kayumas Village coffee plantation, Arjasa District," he said. Early June 2023 hundreds of coffee farmers in Sumbermalang District (West Situbondo area) began harvesting, and this coffee pick will last for the next four months. In Sumbermalang District, Situbondo, there were 460 coffee farmers who were members of the Sumber Makmur Coffee Farmers Association, and each farmer had an area of land between 1 hectare to 2 hectares.