JABAR EKSPRES – The government of Kediri District, East Java, plans to build a liquid organic fertilizer (POC) processing plant as an effort to overcome the problem of fertilizer scarcity experienced by pineapple farmers.
Anang Widodo, acting head of the Kediri District Agriculture and Plantation Office, said a number of farmers have complained about the scarcity of fertilizer, even though they need it for pineapples.
“To overcome the scarcity of fertilizer for pineapple plants, an alternative is to make organic fertilizer,” he said in Kediri on Friday.
He said the location of the processing plant would be built in Ngancar District. This area is the center of pineapple fruit cultivation.
The district government is coordinating with farmer groups, so that the process of making this fertilizer can be right on target. The farmer groups include the Sumber Makmur Farmer Group Association of Manggis Village, Gayuh Mulyo Farmer Group of Sugihwaras Village, Petung Jaya Tani Farmer Group of Sempu Village, Margo Makmur Farmer Group of Manggis Village, Ngancar Village and Sidomukti Trisulo Farmer Friends Farmer Group of Plosoklaten District.
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He hopes that with this liquid organic fertilizer processing business, farmers’ pineapple production can be optimized in the future.
“The POC processing is expected to boost pineapple productivity despite not receiving subsidized fertilizer,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ngancar Subdistrict Agricultural Extension Coordinator Puji Setiono said that to make this liquid organic fertilizer, the main ingredient used is cow urine.
The urine is then collected in tanks that have been provided. There are three tanks, each measuring 5,500 liters, for processing the liquid organic fertilizer. Cow urine was chosen because many farmers in this place keep cows.
After the fertilizer is processed and ready for use, the liquid organic fertilizer is then distributed to farmers for free.