Kediri Regency Partners with UGM to Boost Agricultural Value-Added
The Government of Kediri Regency, East Java, is exploring cooperation with the Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to increase the value-added of agricultural products.
Kediri Regent Hanindhito Himawan Pramana said the cooperation could be directed at the application of post-harvest technology to maintain commodity quality as well as the development of processed agricultural products.
“To increase value-added, hard work is still needed,” the Regent said in Kediri on Wednesday.
The Regent also confirmed he had met directly with representatives from UGM’s Department of Agro-industrial Technology in Kediri Regency.
According to him, strengthening the agricultural sector is important because around 80 percent of Kediri Regency’s population has a background as farmers.
Although the contribution of the agricultural processing industry to Kediri Regency’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) has increased, post-harvest industry management remains a challenge. Some farmers still choose to sell commodities directly at harvest time.
He noted that Kediri Regency has a number of leading commodities, including rice, maize, pineapple, chilli, and podang mango. However, several commodities still face problems, such as chilli prices that can plummet at harvest time and podang mango production that depends on the season.
The Kediri Regency Government is also mapping regional leading potentials as part of preparations for the planned Dhoho Airport serving hajj embarkation starting in 2027.
“In principle, we are ready to establish cooperation with the Department of Agro-industrial Technology,” said Mas Dhito, his familiar nickname.
Representative of UGM’s Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Prof. Adi Djoko Guritno, said cooperation could be carried out through mentoring and community service activities involving students and lecturers to conduct direct technology transfer in the field.
According to him, UGM also has technology that can be utilised to extend the shelf life of raw materials and carry out production engineering so that a number of commodities can be harvested out of season.
“We hope that later we can understand each other and begin to crystallise the points where we can cooperate,” he said.
He added that the results of the meeting are expected to be an initial stage to identify areas of cooperation that suit the needs of the Kediri Regency Government and the expertise of UGM’s Department of Agro-industrial Technology.