Profitable farming scheme set up to draw youth
Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Fri, 09/03/2010 9:32 AM
The Denpasar municipality is encouraging young people to work in the agricultural sector by developing a highly profitable urban farming system.
Denpasar Agriculture Agency head Gede Ambara highlighted the area’s importance as a national center for orchid farming.
“Orchid farming has huge market potential and the plants grow so well in Denpasar because of the weather,” he said.
In addition to orchids, Ambara said developing oyster mushrooms would also generate high profits. “Both orchid and oyster mushroom farming do not require large spaces. Denpasar doesn’t have large areas dedicated to farming,” he added.
To kick off the urban farming program, the agency has involved youth from Sanur Kauh village.
A number of young people took part in programs to introduce them to breeding seeds and plants.
Ambara said some participants had successfully grown various orchid cultivars, especially the Dendrobium species from Thailand, in their houses.
He said the young people grew 15,000 orchid plants. An orchid stalk sells for around Rp 5,000 (55 US cents) In local flower markets.
“This will be a lucrative business since demand for fresh flowers is increasing sharply due to the rapid growth of the hospitality industry in Bali,” he said.
A local flower shop owner said he was often pressed to buy fresh flowers from East and West Java to meet the high demand for flowers.
“We have to work very hard to meet our clients’ demands. We have to secure our stocks both in quantity, quality and sustainability,” he said.
Ambara said his agency had also developed an orchid garden, which also involved youngsters in the neighborhood. “We spent Rp 150 million to develop this orchid garden,” he said.
Meanhile, young people in Peguyangan village in North Denpasar are breeding oyster mushrooms.
Putu Wira Kusuma, one of the youth, said they had sold their harvest at traditional markets for Rp 20,000 per kilogram.
“Growing oyster mushrooms is simple and we can harvest every three to four months,” Kusuma said.
