House member pushes cavendish banana as economic driver for Ponorogo
A member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Novita Hardini, is encouraging cavendish banana cultivation to become an economic driver for village communities in Ponorogo Regency, East Java.
She made the remarks after meeting residents of Bringinan village, Jambon district, Ponorogo, on Saturday evening (15/8).
According to a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday, Bringinan village head Barno explained during the meeting that cavendish banana cultivation began to be developed in 2024.
The Bringinan village government at that time allocated around Rp3.5 million for the procurement of seedlings, which was then followed by training for the community.
The concept developed is simple: residents do not need to own large plots of land to start and only need to plant around two to five banana stems.
As a result, the bananas cultivated by residents have now borne fruit and provided additional income for families.
The innovation has even been developed further. The Bringinan village government is encouraging residents to use the proceeds from banana sales to meet their tax payment obligations.
According to Barno, this approach has made the local community see their gardens not only as a source of food or income, but also as a productive asset that can help meet family obligations.
Responding to Bringinan village’s innovation, Novita said it shows that economic strengthening does not always have to start with large-scale programmes.
In her view, making use of available land, even by planting a few banana stems, can be an entry point for increasing community income.
The legislator, whose portfolio covers SMEs and the creative economy, also praised Bringinan village head Barno for producing an empowerment innovation amid limited village budgets.
“With a limited village budget, Mbah Barno has been able to present a fresh and out-of-the-box idea. Cavendish banana has become one of the empowerment solutions amid today’s economic, social, and political conditions,” she said.
Novita also believes Bringinan’s success in developing cavendish banana is worth replicating in other villages in Ponorogo.
According to her, if the model is developed in a planned manner, its impact could become a broader economic lever.
“If this can be transmitted and implemented in other villages, it can certainly become one of the gateways to economic revival for Ponorogo Regency,” she said.
On the same occasion, Novita also provided seedling support to the community so that the commodity can become an additional source of family income.