Khofifah Encourages Horticulture Development And Agribusiness At Jember University

The elected Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa was present at the inauguration of PP Kauje 2024-2029 in Surabaya, Sunday, December 29, 2024. (ANTARA/HO-TIM Khofifah-Emil)

The elected Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, encouraged the University of Jember (Unej) to develop research and development (R&D), especially in the horticultural and agribusiness sectors, considering the great potential that Jember Regency has in this field.

"At the central level, we have BRIN, in the province there is BRIDA, and the Ministry of Research and Technology which has great potential as a strategic partner for universities. There are many research and development-based innovations that we must encourage on campus," Khofifah said as quoted by ANTARA.

Khofifah explained that she found various problems in the field that required synergy and government intervention in the horticultural sector.

One of them is the challenges facing premium avocado farmers, such as Pameling, Markus, and jugal issues, even though the export market is very potential.

According to him, one of the main obstacles is the limitations in the development of nurserys that require large investments. Many farmers are constrained by capital, even though avocado trees can only be harvested after four years.

"Therefore, we propose that premium avocado and pameling farmers can access bank loans using a grace period mechanism or installment payment grace period," he explained.

In addition to avocado, Khofifah also mentioned the potential for durian development, especially the saucang king durian and blackthorn, which has enormous export opportunities to China.

According to durian farmer Anna Luthfi, the gross income from one hectare of durian land can reach up to Rp2 billion per year, with an estimated 100 trees per hectare. In the first harvest after four to five years, one durian tree can produce around 40 pieces, and this number is expected to increase over time.

We have a lot of idle land that has not been optimally utilized. In addition, there is also a potential social forestry land to be utilized. Therefore, the development of R&D in the horticultural sector must continue to be encouraged," said Khofifah.