Innovative farmer lives out his childhood dream
Innovative farmer lives out his childhood dream
Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Few farmers would dream of making as much money as the
president. But one young farmer not only dreamt it, he actually
pursued it.
Two and half decades later that young West Javan farmer
proudly boasts earnings that quadruple the president's.
The now not so young Bachrum Achmad Baaeshowi has proven that
a simple farmer can succeed with little fanfare.
He is no Bill Gates, but the Cinagara native, whose business
has expanded from farming to microchips, practices the same
ethics that truly successful businessmen adhere to throughout the
world: perseverance, creativity and plain hard work.
Another uncommon trait, which is not shared by many here, is
that Bachrum does not blame the downturn in the economy for the
ills that challenge his ventures.
"I thought hard day and night how to get the best from my
fishponds with the limited funds and space," he said recounting
his experience.
"I did not stand still and do nothing. I went to many experts,
asking them how to breed fish," he recalled of his struggling
fishery ponds that he started in 1977.
His passionate search paid off. Not only is he now reaping the
financial rewards of his hard work, but praise and recognition
have followed.
His fish farming business alone now yields Rp 300 million a
month, and numerous awards have also been bestowed on him,
including one from the Dutch fishery community.
Recently he found himself in the most unlikely of situations,
relating his experience to the graduating class of Prasetya
Mulya's management school's post graduate students.
His message to them was simple: innovation and a strong work
ethic as the backbone of success.
"As a child I had a simple dream: to have a salary as large as
a president's. Now I can earn four times as much," Bachrum
boasted.
"I'm sorry I can't recall how many pieces of land I own and
the turnover in my business because I cannot remember the
number," the farmer remarked almost arrogantly.
Bachrum's tale is one of the few uncelebrated success stories
to emerge from the agricultural sector.
But the value of his success should not be measured by the
size of his bank account, but by the personal breakthrough he
achieved, expanding from a single fishery pond to a diverse farm
holding that includes hundreds of goats, cows, poultry and even
vegetables.
Most recently he has built a partnership with Samsung to
establish a small microchip factory employing 600 female workers
near his village of Cinagara.
"I introduced traditional technology for making fermented
cassava or tape to Korean farmers. In return I was trusted to run
a microchips factory by Samsung," Bachrum proudly told the
audience.
Apart from running his business, Bachrum, 44, now dedicates
much of his time to championing the plight of farmers through the
Karya Nyata Foundation, which is involved in training and helping
farmers hone their entrepreneurial skills.
He claims the Foundation has trained around 40,000 people,
including 500 from other, mostly developing, countries.
About 85 percent of the training is focused on practical
knowledge with the rest devoted to theories on running an
agricultural business.
Bachrum also recognized that farmers were often in a weak
position with no negotiating power over market pressures.
Thus, apart from providing them with the knowledge and tools
necessary to meet these challenges, using his experience he tries
to play the role of interlocutor between farmers and the market.
"I position myself as a mediator between the farmers and the
market, for the farmers' benefit," said Bachrum, who is also a
member of the National Economic Recovery Committee.
Another important cause that Bachrum champions is the need for
greater dissemination of scientific breakthroughs to the rural
community, who are often neglected and left untouched.