Pada tanggal 14 Maret 2019, saya bertemu dengan beberapa petani andalan di Batu. Kami bertukar informasi tentang situasi pertanian saat ini di Batu dan upaya petani untuk membuat inovasi optimal di lapangan.
In 14 March 2019, I met with several farmer leaders in Batu. We exchanged information about current situation of agriculture in Batu and farmer’s efforts to make optimal innovation in the field.
Pada tanggal 29 Oktober – 2 November 2018, rombongan Pemkot Batu dari provinsi Jatim, yang dipimpin oleh Walikota Batu, mengunjungi Jepang.
Rombongan Pemkot Batu mengunjungi kota Fukushima dan Tokyo, di mana mereka mengunjungi perkebunan apel, fasilitas sortir buah-buahan, pabrik pengolahan sayur-mayur, pasar tani (jual-beli langsung oleh petani), pasar glosir induk sayur-mayur, dan seterusnya, dan dapat memehami bagaimana produksi pertanian, pengolahan dan pemasaran terintegrasi. Walikota Batu telah bertemu Walikota Fukushima.
Rombongan pemkot Bau telah dapat berbagai saran tentang bagaimana untuk mengembangkan kerjasama pertanian antara kota Batu dan kota Fukushima di masa depan, dan mereka aman dan kembali ke Indonesia.
In October 29 – November 2, 2018, Batu City Government Mission visited Japan, chaired by the mayor, from Batu city, East Java, Indonesia.
The mission mainly visited Fukushima city and Tokyo, where they visit apple plantation, the fruit sorting plant, agricultural product processing factory, farmer’s market, and vegetable wholesale central market, and so on, and could learn how agricultural production, processing and distribution were integrated. Mayor of Batu city made a courtesy visit to meet mayor of Fukushima city.
The mission have been able to get various suggestions on how to proceed the agricultural cooperation between Batu city and Fukushima city in the future, and they are safe and returned to Indonesia.
Pada tanggal 23-28 September 2018, saya mengunjungi kota Batu lagi sebagai anggota Tim Studi Kelayakan tentang Kerjasama Pertanian antara Kota Fukushima dan Kota Batu, Jawa Timur.
Kami membahas tentang pengelolaan pembangunan pertanian di Batu dengan Ibu Walikota dan para pejabat Pemkot. Banyak informasi dan saran yang kami dapat.
Kami akan mengundang rombongan Kota Batu ke Fukushima dan Tokyo pada tanggal 29 Oktober – 2 November 2018.
In 23-28 September 2018, I visited Batu city again as a team member of feasibility study on agricultural cooperation between Fukushima city and Batu city, East Java.
We discussed about how to manage agricultural development in Batu with its mayor and its government officials. Many fruitful information and suggestion we got.
We will invite the delegation of Batu city to Fukushima and Tokyo in 29 October – 2 November 2018.
Sebagai anggota tim studi, saya mengunjungi Indonesia untuk kick-off studi kelayakan tentang kerjasama pertanian antara kota Fukushima dan kota Batu, Jawa Timur.
Kami membahas isi dan arahan studi ini dengan Walikota dan pejabat Pemkot Batu dan bertukar pendapat dan informasi dengan Kementerian Pertanian.
Tim Kami terdiri dari Ginray co. Ltd. dari Fukushima, JA Fukushima Mirai, Prof. Sugiura (Universitas Chuo) sebagai kepala penasihat, ERM Japan dan saya. Kami akan mengundang rombongan Pemkot Batu yang dipimpin oleh Walikota Batu ke Fukushima pada bulan Juli mendatang.
Bersama Walikota Batu setelah diskusi. Foto oleh Naoko Takahashi, 14 Mei 2018.
As a study team member, I visited Indonesia for kick-off of our feasibility study on agricultural cooperation between Fukushima city and Batu city, East Java.
We discussed contents and directions of this study with Mayor and government officials of Batu city and exchanged opinion and information with Ministry of Agriculture.
Our team consists of Ginray Co. Ltd. from Fukushima, JA Fukushima Mirai, Prof. Sugiura (Chuo Univ) as chief advisor, ERM Japan and me. We will invite the mission from Batu city headed by its mayor to Fukushima in next July.
Photo with mayor of Batu city after discussion. Taken by Naoko Takahashi, 14 May 2018.
Pada tanggal 26 April 2018, kami mengadakan pertemuan kick-off program kerjasama pertanian antara Kota Fukushima dan Kota Batu (di Jawa Timur, Indonesia) di kantor JA Fukushima Mirai di Fukushima. Judulnya adalah “Studi Kelayakan Pembentukan Proyek JICA: Rekonstruksi Supply Chain Hortikultura dan Peciptaan Branding Bersama antara Kota Batu dan Kota Fukushima”. Kami akan mengunjungi Batu pada tanggal 12-15 Mei untuk pertemuan kick-off di pihak Indonesia.
I visited Kota Batu again in 31 October – 1 November. This is the last visit this year to complete the cooperation and collaboration direction between Kota Batu and Fukushima City in agriculture sector.
A proposal was submitted from Fukushima to Batu and we discussed it together. Because the proposal was satisfied with needs from Kota Batu, generally we agreed.
Fukushima team was welcomed by Mayor of Kota Batu, too. Fukushima team appreciated very much on very warm acceptance and positive response from the mayor on the cooperation and collaboration direction.
We will start next step to long-term partnership between Kota Batu and Fukushima City.
Fukushima Team with Mayor of Kota Batu
In the name of JICA survey on local to local partnership in agriculture between Indonesia and Japan, I brought three persons from Fukushima city to Malang and Batu, East Java, Indonesia, in July 26-28, 2016.
Fukushima and Malang/Batu have the same character as center of fruits production and processing. Fukushima is very famous as production center of peach, pear, apple and other fruits except orange. Malang and Batu are famous as apple, orange, crystal guava, and other tropical fruits.
In Malang and Batu, we discussed with those two local governments about the direction of this supposed partnership and share the philosophy of agriculture in the future. We agreed with farmers-centered agricultural industrialization against strong wave of globalization through market forces.
In other words, the main objective is to improve the position and income of farmers, supported by manufacturers. More focus on sustainability and continuity of interaction between farmers and manufacturers, rather than the increase of production and productivity that are requested by market force.
For example, vacuum fried chips (kripik) are main products of fruit processing in Malang and Batu now. Because of that, the future of kripik is not prospective because more manufacturers will start to produce kripik and more supply of kripik will decline the value of processing. Very difficult to increase the income of farmers. Processing-centered strategies will not always be good result to farmers.
So, my guests from Fukushima requested farmers in Malang and Batu not just satisfy as suppliers of fruits materials for manufacturers, but try to produce qualified fresh fruits against dominant imported fruits in Indonesian market. Food security is the biggest concern of Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident. Fukushima has made extra hard effort to recover its trust in agriculture market until now.
The key is not only the quality, but also the security of foods and agricultural products. Also, organic products are not always accepted in market if they are not so delicious. Farmers try to produce delicious fruits with paying attention to food security (and may be in organic way). We think this with seeing many small apples in a tree in Batu.
In September, we will invite local government officials from Malang and Batu to Fukushima to see and understand the system of agriculture, mainly of fruits. We will continue to discuss about real partnership building in fruits promotion between Fukushima and Malang/Batu. See the next step.
In the name of JICA survey, I visited Malang city and Batu city in East Java province in July 14-16, 2016.
This survey will search for possible cooperation and partnership relation between local government in Japan and in Indonesia to promote win-win private business development on agriculture and livestock sector.
So, there are two kinds of partnership in this survey: local government in Japan and local government in Indonesia; and government sector and private sector in each local government.
Malang city and Batu city are included as the candidate local government in Indonesia, especially in the field of fruits production, processing and marketing development. So, what will the partner candidate in Japan?
Anyway, in July 14, I visited the Office of Agriculture of Malang city to discuss with the Head at 8:30 am. Unfortunately, he was asked by Mayor to attend urgent important meeting in the City Hall. So, I had to just wait for the finish of the meeting. Maybe 1-2 hours, I think.
At last, I could meet the Head at 3 pm. He wanted me to meet the Mayor. I was very surprised at hearing it because it is usually very difficult to make appointment the local head as Governor, district head (Bupati), or Mayor.
Fortunately, thanks to the initiative of the Head of the Office of Agriculture, I met the Mayor, Bapak H. Moch. Anton. I explained about our survey and he appreciated us very much. He gave some suggestions and hints to promote next step for partnership building with local government in Japan.
What will happen in the next step? We will see it later.
Left to Right: Bapak Wasto (Chairman of Bappeda); Me; Bapak H. Moch. Anton (Mayor); Bapak Kristiawan (Fruits Processing Expert); Bapak Hadi Santoso (Head of Office of Agriculture)
