The Ministry of Agriculture pays serious attention to the development of floriculture. This is to realize the Triple Export Movement (GRATIEKS) program. The condition of the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world did not prevent Indonesia from participating in various international exhibitions. The exhibitions that were followed included the International Floriculture Expo in Florida in September 2021 and ODICOFF in the Netherlands and Serbia in November 2021. The ornamental plant export contracts with several buyers in the two prestigious events above prove that local floriculture is in demand by the American and European markets. This is certainly an opportunity for local cultivators to reach the international market.
Moreover, Indonesia is a floriculture genetic mega-biodiversity country. "There's a name Scindapsus Truebii Black. This native Indonesian plant comes from Kalimantan and is favored by several countries. "I just came back from Holland and Serbia. They are familiar with colorful subtropical plants. However, it was later discovered that they are now in love with green leaf ornamental plants,” said the Director of Fruits and Floriculture, Liferdi Lukman when contacted in writing, Friday (11/2). Liferdi, as he is familiarly called, is proud of the presence of millennials who have contributed to moving the agricultural sector, one of which is Pelita Desa Nursery. The nursery, which has only been operating in the field of floriculture since March 2021, is managed by young millennials, some are even recorded as high school students.
Even though they don't have an educational background in agriculture, the members are enthusiastic about working in the field of floriculture and are eager to expand their export market network. “In September 2021, our team participated in the International Floriculture Expo in Florida. There we promote various types of ornamental plants that we develop. From the expo, we got contracts with several buyers and nurseries that we visited,” said the Director of CV. Pelita Village Nursery, Cici Melita. Interestingly, the production is carried out by empowering the surrounding community. The number of fostered farmers reaches hundreds of people scattered in Putat Nutuh Village and Tamansari Village, Ciseeng District, Bogor.
In their daily production, they use the terms mustahik and muzakki which adopt Islamic concepts. Simply put, mustahik are people who receive zakat, while muzakki are people who pay zakat. The mustahik group is described as assisted farmers. Through this collaboration, fostered farmers who have high incomes can reach the muzakki level. "The pattern of cooperation combines the concept of mustahik - muzakki. Farmers buy seeds to Pelita Desa for IDR 35 thousand, then farmers reproduce and sell seedlings to Pelita Desa for an average of IDR 25 – 35 thousand per sapling for ornamental plant species that are in demand by the market. Some farmers have been able to produce 1000 tillers. From this pattern, farmers have benefited and are not worried because the plants they develop already have a market,” continued the 24-year-old entrepreneur. Pelita Desa develops various types of floriculture according to the tastes and demands of buyers and analyzes market trends.
In addition, this nursery also built a 400 square meter greenhouse which was used as a temporary plant quarantine before being sent abroad. “The floricultures we cultivate include Scindapsus, Philodendron, Aglaonema, Anthurium, Amydrium, Monstera, Syngonium, and Cyrtosperma. Quality, quantity and continuity are the keys in floriculture marketing. We also do plant propagation by tissue culture to meet export demand. This includes partnering with business actors in various regions to meet the market as well as expand information networks," he explained. One of the fostered farmers, Ummi develops leaf ornamental plants in an area of 60 square meters capable of producing 1200 trees. This of course helps improve the welfare of the farmers it fosters. "I feel the benefits and sustenance of planting Mbak Cici's ornamental plants. It's enough to just use the front yard of the house, at first I only planted 200 saplings, now it has grown to more than 1200 saplings," concluded the figure who is usually called Emak.
