Situbondo Regency Encourages Farmers to Turn Kitchen Waste into Liquid Organic Fertiliser
Situbondo (ANTARA) - The Situbondo Regency government in East Java is intensifying efforts to strengthen food security and reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers by encouraging the use of household waste to produce liquid organic fertiliser, known as POC.
Vice Regent Ulfiyah stated that the distribution of various vegetables, plant seedlings, and liquid organic fertiliser to the community is part of an initiative to spark enthusiasm among the younger generation to engage in the agricultural sector.
“This activity of distributing harvested vegetables grown using liquid organic fertiliser is aimed at empowering the community. We hope the innovators of POC from kitchen waste will serve as an example for other young farmers,” Ulfiyah said during the handover of vegetables and liquid organic fertiliser at the Situbondo Agriculture and Food Security Agency office on Tuesday.
She noted that utilising household waste such as fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and other kitchen refuse not only produces liquid organic fertiliser for farming but also automatically helps address the waste problem.
“There is already a community of housewives who have been taught to turn kitchen waste into organic fertiliser, and we hope this can be replicated in other sub-districts,” the Vice Regent added.
Ulfiyah further stated that the local government will continue to support the sustainability of this liquid organic fertiliser innovation from household waste, including through specific budget allocations.
“As conveyed by the Regent (Situbondo Regent Yusuf Rio Wahyu Prayogo), this programme is projected to not only focus on the central region but will also be expanded to the eastern and western parts of Situbondo,” she said.
Acting Head of the Situbondo Agriculture and Food Security Agency, Quratul Aini, said that alongside the distribution of various vegetables and plant seedlings, residents also received one bottle of liquid organic fertiliser.
“We at the Agriculture and Food Security Agency are ready to provide assistance to millennial farmer communities and housewives in the process of making liquid organic fertiliser from kitchen waste,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Situbondo Central Waste Bank, Purwanto, stated that the liquid organic fertiliser derived from household waste has been tested on rice, sugarcane, and intercropping systems, and has been shown to increase rice productivity.
“For vegetable crops, it also produces healthy vegetables and improves plant growth,” he said.