Made Anthony Iswara, Bandung – A public-private partnership has allowed farmers in Ciwidey in Bandung, West Java, to reap better profits from selling Japanese vegetables.
The region's farmers are now harvesting Japanese kuroda carrots, which are sold in supermarkets for around Rp 38,000 (US$2.69) per 800 grams compared to Rp 4,000 per kilogram for regular carrots, said Setia Irawan, the CEO of farmers' cooperative-cum-Islamic boarding school Al Ittifaq.
He said the demand for the carrot variety in Al Ittifaq could reach 5 tons per week throughout the year. The cooperative has planted the variety for about two years.
"If demands can always be met, it will improve the social and economic conditions for thousands of farmers," Setia said on Tuesday at a media presentation in Bandung.
Setia's cooperative is among the beneficiaries of Indonesia's cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Indonesia Japan Horticulture Public-Private Partnership Project (IJHOP4).
Plans for the IJHOP4 started in 2016 and were rolled out in 2017. It involved 1,396 farmers in Bandung regency, West Bandung, Bogor, Sukabumi, Cianjur and Garut between 2017 and 2019.
The project aims to improve cultivation techniques, optimize local supply chains, facilitate links with modern markets and improve farmers' financial access, IJHOP4 project team leader Nishimura Tsutomu said at Al-Ittifaq on Tuesday.
Aside from kuroda carrots, farmers in the targeted areas have also been cultivating momotaro tomatoes, nasu (Japanese eggplant) and mizuna (Japanese mustard greens), among other varieties.
"We try to help core farmers' groups so that they can have the important achievement of taking their product to the modern market," he said.
Japan-Indonesia joint consumer goods company Calbee-Wings has also participated in the initiative, using locally sourced potatoes to make its potato chips, its executives said on Wednesday.