Taro Beneng is an alternative food source that thrives as a wild plant or as a result of cultivation. This plant grows wells in the Lumajang Regency, East Java. One of the farmers in Lumajang Regency, Gunar Muhamad Ali, has made real efforts in providing food and generating foreign exchange through exporting beneng taro derivative products. "Apart from being an alternative food source to replace rice, everything in Taro Beneng has high economic value, including the leaves, tubers, and midribs," he said when met on Sunday (6/3). Apart from the tuber as a food ingredient, another part of taro beneng which is no less important is the leaves. Currently the leaves have been used and produced into dry chopped or for other needs both domestic and foreign needs. Gunar explained that after the green leaves are picked, they are then ripened for three days and after the yellow leaves are chopped. Then it is dried in the sun or oven and after it is dry it is wrapped and packed ready to be exported. To harvest tubers, farmers just need to send a cut and weigh form. "Meanwhile, the midrib or leaf stalk after being dried and put into a pellet machine is used to concentrate animal or fish feed," said Gunar. Star harvest of taro bebeneng leaves is relatively fast, namely at the age of planting in the fifth month starting to harvest leaves. After that, harvest leaves every month, while harvesting tubers in the second or third year and this is a business bonus. "So that farmers do not wait for a long harvest period, it is enough for five months to start harvesting, after that they have regular income every month and harvest tubers as a business bonus," he explained. In addition, the important nature of taro is moist so that it saves water, so the plants are fertile, so the business risk is very small at one time, but has a continuing business. Plant care that is cheap and easy and environmentally friendly makes Talas Beneng one of the prima donna plants to be developed by farmers or the wider community. Gunar added that before the bulb harvest period, new seedlings were planted between trees so that at the time of tuber harvesting, follow-up plants with the same population began to harvest leaves. "In its current development, the demand for the production of taro beneng in the form of dry chopped leaves of taro beneng from abroad is very large, it can be said that the demand for exports from abroad is very far compared to the population of taro beneng in Indonesia," said Gunar.

The demand for national and international markets is very large, which until now has not been able to be fulfilled. During this pandemic alone, apart from the huge domestic demand, foreign demand for taro beneng has also not subsided. In addition to Australia, there are several other countries that host the harvest of this beneng taro, including Taiwan, Turkey and Dubai. In development, various parties support the Taro Beneng cultivation program which is an export commodity, so that the Taro Beneng cultivation business program has a very safe economic value and is very feasible to be carried out by companies or farming communities as a big business opportunity in the long term. "Some MSMEs have also succeeded in developing the tubers into snacks such as chips, some even made flour which is used as a basic ingredient for bread, taro beneng rice, etc., so that Taro Beneng cultivation is very feasible as a business program that can increase people's per capita income which later will bring prosperity to all Indonesian people," he said. Meanwhile, Head of the Agricultural Human Resources Extension and Development Agency (BPPSDMP) Dedi Nursyamsi said to protect food in the midst of a pandemic, the president has mandated all ministries and state institutions to prioritize food needs as a community supply. "Development of the food sector requires new innovative ways, increasing the efficiency of the production process, quality food at affordable prices, improving the carrying capacity of environmentally friendly and prosperous farmers," he said. Dedi added that agricultural exports are one of the focuses of the Ministry of Agriculture, especially in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: https://www.jpnn.com/news/talas-beneng-punya-nilai-ekonomi-tinggi-dan-siap-ekspor?page=4