Fruitfest promotes local fare
CILEUNGSI, Bogor (JP): PT Mekar Unggul Sari, which manages a 264-hectare orchard in Cileungsi, will launch today a week-long fruitfest at the park.
A fruit market, a seminar on environment regreening, an auction of potted fruit trees and a panel discussion -- titled The Development of National Fruits: Challenges and Prospects -- are among the planned activities.
The fruitfest is held in conjunction with the commemoration of the firm's second anniversary today and World Food Day, Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih, known as Mamiek, the president of PT Mekar Unggul Sari, said Saturday.
Dwi Ayu, a corporate secretary from Mekar Unggul Sari, said yesterday that the fruit fair, which will start today and run until Sunday, will have fruit traders from many regions throughout the country offering a plethora of choices for visitors.
She said that Minister of Agriculture Sjarifuddin Baharsjah is scheduled to open the fruit festivities on Friday, which will feature specific fruits from the country's 27 provinces.
"Fruit traders from the provinces, who participated in a similar event to mark the firm's first anniversary, have expressed a willingness to take part in this event," she said.
The highlight of the week-long event will be the auction of fruit trees on Friday, Dwi said.
"More people, including those who took part in last year's auction, will join the sell-off," she said.
The price of a potted fruit tree can reach Rp 100,000 (US$28.57), far more than an ordinary tree seedling, which sells for only Rp 6,000 to Rp 10,000, she said.
The festival's entertainment lineup will include performances by orphans from the Islamic Village, a marching band, and fruit cone and juice-making demonstrations.
Mamiek, the youngest daughter of President Soeharto, said that the orchard had attracted about 1.7 million domestic and foreign visitors.
"The Mekarsari orchard, which was established with the aim of improving the image of local fruits and creating a horticulture biodiversity preservation center, has a fruit tree collection, which includes 45 families, 150 species and 450 varieties," she said.
In conjunction with the government's program to raise the production of fruit and the quality of the seedlings, the Mekarsari orchard has conducted extensive research, particularly on horticulture plants, in close cooperation with farmers, she said.
Mamiek said that to improve services to visitors, the orchard had been equipped with several facilities, including the Dewi Sri theater, vegetable gardens, water tourism and fruit and seedling kiosks.
Mamiek reiterated the importance of an orchard to help improve the quality of local produce and enable farmers to compete with fruit imports, which have flooded both the capital and other major cities. (hhr)