MP Sugiat Santoso Applauds Islamic Boarding School's Shallot Development
Deli Serdang (ANTARA) - Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Sugiat Santoso, believes that the shallot development undertaken by Pondok Pesantren Al-Hidayah in Mencirim Village, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, is a strategic step towards supporting national food security and independence.
According to him, achieving food independence requires the involvement of all elements of society, including Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) and educational institutions, in utilising available land.
“If all educational institutions outside of state supervision were to do what Pondok Pesantren Al-Hidayah is doing by utilising existing land for food security, I believe the government’s targets would be achieved much faster,” he said in Deli Serdang on Sunday.
Sugiat also encouraged that agricultural yields should not stop at the sale of raw materials. Cultivated shallots could be developed into processed products to increase added value and income.
“Do not sell them raw immediately. If they can be downstreamed into fried shallots with impressive packaging, the value will certainly be much higher,” said the Gerindra politician.
In addition to shallots, Sugiat appreciated the development of sugar palm (aren) carried out by Pondok Pesantren Al-Hidayah.
In his view, the development of agricultural commodities alongside conservation efforts demonstrates the potential of pesantren to serve as centres for community economic empowerment and environmental preservation.
He stated his readiness to encourage collaboration in the development of Pondok Pesantren Al-Hidayah through policy, budgetary support, institutional networks, and cooperation with various parties.
“We hope our presence here can be beneficial to this pesantren, whether within the framework of policy, budget, networks, or other forms of collaboration,” he said.
Previously, the leader of Pondok Pesantren Al-Hidayah, Khairul Ghazali, stated that they possess experience in shallot cultivation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the pesantren developed shallots under the guidance of Bank Indonesia and achieved good results.
“During Covid, I planted shallots directly under the guidance of Bank Indonesia and it was successful. We implemented a system guided by agricultural experts brought in by Bank Indonesia,” he said.
Khairul noted that the current development of shallots is a form of the pesantren’s contribution to supporting food security while helping to maintain commodity price stability, which impacts inflation.
Besides shallots, Pondok Pesantren Al-Hidayah is also developing sugar palm as a conservation crop and a source of community economic empowerment. Thousands of sugar palm trees have been planted within the pesantren area, and the yields are being processed into various products, such as moulded sugar, granulated sugar, and candied palm fruit (kolang-kaling).