To see Batu City potency on agriculture as an agropolitan city is horticulture plant diversity including fruits, vegetables and decorative plants. Besides, including also the existence of its population who mostly living as farmer. Therefore Local Government of Batu City prioritizes agricultural and tourism sector on its regional and economic development. Located at Ruang Sidang, Faculty of Agriculture building’s second floor on Tuesday (15/Mar/2016), Batu City Government explores the continuation of cooperation with Faculty of Agriculture University of Brawijaya.
“To follow up cooperation that was organized in 2015 with Batu City Government that discussed about local regulations draft on organic farming, this time will be initiated a further cooperation on district regulation preparation regards to Master Plan on Organic Farming Area Development of Batu City and also organic farming product supply chain in Batu City,” opened Karuniawan Puji Wicaksono, SP., MP., PhD.
Puji continued that for experts and policy maker, we can create and formulate policy, yet for the implementation, a supplement is needed by seeing organic farming market. “We see and notice first whether there is a market or not, purchasing power and so on. Thus we get deal to have study first to support the local regulations,” said Puji.
Dean of Faculty of Agriculture University of Brawijaya Prof. Dr. Ir. Nuhfil Hanani AR., MS directly welcomes the partnership with Batu City Government, and also he explained that in the future the campus will be designed as sustainable agriculture development centre. Including within is organic farming.
Attended the event was Planning and Development Agency of Batu City boards that represented by Economic Planning Division Head of Batu City Planning and Development Agency, Heru Yulianto, SP, MM. He delivered that the partnership has approved by Batu City Local Legislative to be continued. The other agenda was presentation on organic farming product supply chain. Batu City Local Government was passionate in related with organic farming since has become 2012-2017 visions, that is Batu City as International Tourism-based of Organic Farming Centre. Also written in Batu City mission, that is to develop organic farming and organic farming product trade.
Meanwhile problems to be confronted are organic farming product market strategy not efficient yet. The minimum access of organic farming product in Batu City is causing farmers to get difficulties in selling their crops. And also price stability that formed at farmer level till end-consumers is very far-adrift.
In addition, needed also an effort to open market access on organic farming thus each actor in each marketing channel could obtain profit and minimizing losses due to lack of access. The target to be achieved is comprehensive identification and analysis result about differentiation of each organic farming market channel.
Other problems are knowing related data and information in related with organic farming marketing channel that is formed, up to the availability of organic farming market chain report in Batu City.
BPPK (Research, Community Services and Partnership Agency) Secretary of FP-UB, Dr. Ir. Setyono Yudo Tyasmoro, MS continued the discussion to get preliminary picture of application target, competitive commodities, productivity support, cluster determining, implementation, organic farming product and process certification, up to farmer/group of farmers, development and supervision, and also administrative punishment. [waw/Humas UB/trans. Denok]
