PPK Ormawa Hima Sylva Students Initiate Collaborative Dialogue in Tebat Pulau Village: Exploring the Potential of Robusta Coffee to Improve Farmer Welfare
On Thursday, July 29 2024, the PPK Ormawa Hima Sylva Students held activities focused on developing local potential through an interactive dialogue between partners, suppliers and coffee farmers in Tebat Pulau Village. This event was a valuable moment with the presence of well-known entrepreneurs from PT Berkah Lancar Pangan and PT Global Indonesia Maju, who will later partner with the local community to develop their coffee business.
Tebat Pulau Village, famous for its robust coffee production, has great potential, with production reaching 5,000 tons per year. This potential is significant, but the community often faces various obstacles in distributing the harvest. Stagnant coffee prices are one of the main challenges faced by farmers.
The people of Tebat Pulau Village Representatives welcomed this dialogue activity enthusiastically and even attended it publicly from village neighbours. Residents show enthusiasm for establishing mutually beneficial cooperation with entrepreneurs. In the dialogue, various problems faced by farmers were discussed, including difficulties in distributing coffee products and unstable prices.
Representatives from PT Berkah Lancar Pangan and PT Global Indonesia Maju were present to provide concrete solutions to this problem. They offer an integrated coffee processing and marketing system, expected to increase the quality and selling value of robusta coffee from Tebat Pulau Village. These entrepreneurs also share experience and knowledge about more modern and efficient coffee processing techniques and marketing strategies that can reach international markets.
One of the significant challenges farmers face is the period after the harvest season. Some farmers do not have alternative income, so their welfare often declines after the harvest period ends. In this dialogue, the importance of diversifying sources of income and developing community-based businesses to ensure the community’s economic sustainability was also discussed.
Apart from that, from May to July this year, the people of Tebat Pulau Village experienced a significant increase in harvest. This increase was also followed by an increase in the price of coffee on the market. However, the peak harvest is expected to occur in September, raising concerns that the distribution of coffee yields has yet to reach its maximum level. Therefore, it is hoped that these entrepreneurs’ presence can solve public complaints by providing broader and more stable market access.
Through this dialogue, the people of Tebat Pulau Village gained new insight into the importance of innovation in coffee processing and marketing. They also get motivated to continue developing the robusta coffee business, which is the mainstay of their village. Entrepreneurs from PT Berkah Lancar Pangan and PT Global Indonesia Maju are committed to supporting and collaborating with the community to improve the quality and competitiveness of robusta coffee from Tebat Pulau Village.
With good cooperation between the community, entrepreneurs and the government, robusta coffee from Tebat Pulau Village is hoped to be known on the international market. This effort will not only improve the welfare of farmers but also bring a good name to the village on the world stage. This dialogue is an essential first step in building a better future for the people of Tebat Pulau Village by developing their robusta coffee’s potential.
