Singaraja- The implementing team for the Partner Village Development Program (PPDM) at Ganesha University of Education (Undiksha) Singaraja introduced a method for making granulated organic fertilizer. This program targets Subak Abian, Community Economic Institutions (LEM), and BUMDES of Belatungan Village, Pupuan District, Tabanan Regency. The training took place on August 26, 2019.
The chief executive of PPDM, I Nyoman Sukarta, M.Si explained that this program was one of a series of PPDM activities in the first year of the three-year plan (2019-2021) for implementation. Furthermore, this PPDM was funded by the Directorate of Research and Community Service (DRPM), Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia. The target of Belatungan Village as a PPDM implementation partner is inseparable from its potential. “Belatungan is an agricultural area with the main commodity in the form of robusta coffee which has received a Geographical Indication (GI) certificate from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia”. Clearly, Sunday (25/9/2019)
Based on data from the Village Government, the need for organic fertilizer for coffee maintenance for farmers reaches 700 tons per year. But that number has not been able to be fulfilled. On the other hand, the availability of materials for the manufacture of organic fertilizers is very abundant. One of them was obtained from a goat farm which was assistance from the Provincial Government of Bali through the Simantri program. In addition, almost every family raises pigs as an additional source of income. “More than that, as an agricultural area, raw materials for fertilizer from agricultural waste are very easy to obtain, especially after the coffee harvest, coffee skins are increasingly piling up and have not been utilized. This can be used as fertilizer,” he said. He emphasized that training on making organic fertilizer by optimizing the utilization of internal resources is a vehicle for education as well as encouraging the realization of sustainable agriculture.
The implementing member of PPDM is Dr. I Dewa Ketut Sastrawidana, M.Si, who previously attended training on making fertilizer, and became the instructor for this training. In a brief presentation, it was explained that granular organic fertilizer is very environmentally friendly because it is made using materials from animal manure and agricultural waste. In addition, the dose of use becomes more precise so that it is more efficient.
Facilitating the production process of this granular organic fertilizer, the Undiksha PPDM implementing team handed over the assistance of an organic fertilizer counter (APPO) and a granulator machine. “With this APPO machine, leaves, grass, and even small branches can be made into small sizes so that it is very helpful for the supply of organic fertilizer raw materials, while the granulator machine is used to make compost into granules/granules,” he said. This fertilizer is not only able to improve the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil but also to maintain soil moisture because the organic matter can bind water longer. In addition to meeting the needs of local farmers, the fertilizer also has economic value. “With this granular organic fertilizer manufacturing training, Belatungan Village through the three pillars of the village economic sector BUMDES, subak abian, and LEM are looking at granular organic fertilizer as a business opportunity to provide organic fertilizer for internal village farming communities and the general public. The final estuary of this PPDM is the creation of an upstream coffee agro-industry, namely granular organic fertilizer, and the future development of downstream agro-industry “various robusta coffee derivative products from Belatungan Village,” he added. (rls/hms)
