The Story of a Retired TNI Officer Who Switched Careers to Duck Farming, Earning Tens of Millions of Rupiah a Month
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – After nearly five years in retirement from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Purba (60) chose a different path to fill his retirement years. He is now a duck farmer in Rorotan, North Jakarta, and is able to reap a turnover of around tens of millions of rupiah per month from egg sales.
Sitting on a wooden bench, with the breeze from the trees, Purba sits relaxing. The man from Sumatra no longer wears camouflage. In daily life he appears simple with shorts, a plain T-shirt, a bush hat, and a crossbody bag.
If previously he was tasked with safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, now he tends hundreds of ducks in a shed standing in the middle of the paddy fields in Rorotan.
After considering various information, he decided to join the Kelompok Rorotan Maju Bersama, which has 29 other farmers as members.
He previously lived in Bekasi, West Java; Purba then rented a house in Rorotan since 2023 to focus more on his farming business.
The shed was built on land owned by a private company located in the middle of the paddy fields. He rents the land for about Rp600,000 per year. He says he has never been ashamed to switch careers to farming after retirement from the TNI.
“Yes, to find activities and add to income, rather than just staying at home, you have to move, too, for health,” he said when interviewed by Kompas.com at the location, on Monday (2/3/2026).
Purba also did not pay attention to the opinions of some people who regretted his decision. For him, duck farming is no less noble because it helps support food security.
From 500 ducks, around 200 eggs can be harvested each day. The eggs are sold to middlemen at around Rp 2,300 per egg.
“Within one month his income can be Rp 12 million, for feed Rp 6-7 million per month,” he said.
According to Purba, his income now is not far different from when he was still active as a soldier. The difference is that as a farmer, revenue depends heavily on the diligence in raising the stock.
The more diligent in caring for and feeding, the more productive the ducks lay eggs. Conversely, if lazy, the results will decline and potentially lead to losses.