PT Umas Jaya Agrotama (PT UJA) Terbanggi Besar, Central Lampung, carried out the first harvest of the cassava partnership program for cassava cultivation, the Creating Shared Value (CSV) program in collaboration with the Mesuji Regency Government, the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia, Tuesday (5 /3/24).
Cassava Partnership is a collaboration program between CSV PT UJA and farmers, an effort made by the government through the Ministry of Development of Disadvantaged Villages and Transmigration to advance communities in transmigration and rural areas, especially in Mesuji Regency.
The event was held in Bukoposo Village, Way Serdang Mesuji District, attended by the Director of Planning for the Realization of Transmigration Areas, Mr. Bambang Widyatmiko, Functional Community Self-Help Activator, Main Expert, Mrs. Aisyah Gamawati, Head of the Transmigration Division, Community Empowerment, Village and Transmigration Service, Lampung Province, Mr. Muhammad Arifin, Assistant for Economic Affairs and Development of the Mesuji Regional Secretariat, Mr. Indra Kusuma Wijaya, Production Head of PT Umas Jaya Agrotama, Mr. Ammar Viko Wicaksono, Head of the Mesuji Regency PMD Service, Anwar Pamuji, Head of Bukoposo Village, Mr. Anwar, Head of Bumdes, Mr. Bukoposo Darmanto, and Way Serdang District Agricultural Extension Officer.
“The first cassava partnership harvest was a collaboration between PT Umas Jaya Agrotama and the Mesuji Regency Government and the Ministry of Empowerment of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration,” said Mr. Bambang Widyatmiko.
Mr. Bambang said that the cassava partnership program developed in Mesuji Regency was the first cassava cultivation cooperation program in Indonesia. According to Mr Bambang, if this program is successful it will be developed as widely as possible and involve many farmers. He emphasized that why this program is in Mesuji is because the area is close to PT Umas Jaya Agrotama so that assistance and supervision is easier.
PT UJA itself is part of the Great Giant Foods Business Unit, including PT Great Giant Pineapple which has also successfully developed a CSV program with banana crop commodities. And the CSV program has been carried out in 9 districts in provinces in Indonesia. These include Tanggamus-Lampung, Jember-East Java, Ponorogo, East Java, Jembrana-Bali, Bener Meriah-Aceh, and Subang-West Java, etc.
“It is very easy for farmers who take part in this partnership, apart from providing capital in the form of a loan, there is also technical guidance for their cultivation from PT UJA as the offtaker. What’s more interesting is that this program also involves the Bundes as operational facilitators in the field so that coordination is more organized. “Please the community to join because this program is very profitable for farmers,” stressed Mr. Bambang.
Assistant for the Economy and Development of the Mesuji Regional Secretariat, Mr. Indra, representing the Acting Regent of Mesuji, Sulpakar, expressed his congratulations and deepest appreciation for the holding of this First Harvest.
“The CSV program is one of the efforts carried out by the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia to advance communities in Transmigration Areas and Rural Areas, especially in KPPN and KTPN Mesuji. “This program aims to create shared value between companies, communities and the government by developing the potential of agricultural commodities in the regions,” said the regent in his written remarks.
“Hopefully this first harvest will be the initial basis for maximizing cassava production and can improve the community’s economy and maintain solidity between the government and the Ministry of Villages and Transmigration and PT Umas Jaya Agrotama,” he said.
The Mesuji Regional Government certainly gives its appreciation for holding the first harvest activity today. This program is a follow-up to the Cassava Partnership program which was carried out in June 2023 in Bukoposo Village, Way Serdang District. The land of farmers registered in this program is 8 hectares with a planting period of 8-9 months.
“To express our deepest appreciation and thanks for the help of all parties, especially PT Umas Jaya Agrotama, I hope this program can continue and continue to develop as widely as possible in Mesuji Regency,” said Mr. Indra Kusuma Wijaya.
In his statement, Mr. Ammar explained that previously farmers did not have good seeds, in terms of cultivation activities they were also not very good, so with this partnership, everything from tillage to fertilization was assisted in order to get better results.
“It is proven that before the partnership, production was only 20 tonnes per hectare, during the first harvest with the partnership pattern the estimated tonnage could reach 32 tonnes per hectare, an increase of around 10 tonnes per hectare,” explained Mr Ammar.
The Cassava Partnership program has several advantages, such as providing interest-free financing, where all costs of cassava cultivation will be borne by the company and will be deducted at harvest, providing price certainty, getting priority in service including in terms of weighing, unloading and cashier queues.
This program provides market certainty for partner farmers. Farmers who join this partnership program will have guaranteed sales of their cassava and this program also guarantees the quality of farming inputs, such as land, seeds, labor and fertilizer, he said.
