The South Sulawesi Governor's Pisang Program Continues, Prepares 18 Petuk Farmers Training Packages

Acting Governor of South Sulawesi Bahtiar Bahharuddin while attending the Takabonerate Festival in the Selayar Islands, Thursday (26/10/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Humas South Sulawesi Provincial Government)

The South Sulawesi Provincial Government provides 18 training packages and a number of equipment for special horned banana farmers in Selayar Islands Regency, Jeneponto, Bone, Gowa and Sinjai.

Acting Governor of South Sulawesi Bahtiar Baharuddin said the horn banana in Selayar has its own characteristics when compared to the horn banana in other areas outside South Sulawesi. Even the size is three times the size of the horn banana on the island of Java.

"This is our typical banana, yes, the horn banana here is unique and huge. I think this can be our distinctive leading commodity. If the horn banana on the island of Java is small, maybe three times that compared to those in other areas," said Bahtiar after meeting with horn banana farmers in Selayar as reported by ANTARA, Friday, October 27.

For this reason, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government has provided 18 training packages and of course equipment for banana processing into food or snacks with high economic value.

"So the Provincial Government through the Cooperatives and MSMEs Service, there are 18 packages in 2023, so that people have more added value," he said.

"The community is trained on how to process the banana, so we have prepared 18 training packages and equipment assistance in 2023," he said.

Bahtiar admitted that he had seen the horn banana during the South Sulawesi Anniversary exhibition at the Center Point Of Indonesia (CPI) which featured various natural products in each region in South Sulawesi.

"Yesterday at the South Sulawesi Anniversary exhibition, there was a banana horn, apparently here it came from. I asked yesterday with the farmers, apparently the potential is extraordinary here, it has become a leading commodity," he continued.

The Acting Governor of South Sulawesi also expressed his gratitude to all people of the Selayar Islands for their efforts to improve the welfare and economic level of the people.

Meanwhile, Head of the South Sulawesi Cooperatives and MSMEs Office, Ashari Fakhrie Radjamilo, said that his party would provide assistance with equipment and special training for horn banana farmers in Bone, Selayar Islands, Sinjai, Jeneponto and Gowa.

"We will conduct training and provide equipment for the processing of horn banana. God willing, we will target it in the last two months of 2023. Gowa, Jeneponto, Selayar, Bone and Sinjai," he said.