Local oranges, durian to get govt boost

DENPASAR: The Bali administration is giving out cheap seeds to entice farmers to cultivate local fruits, a senior official says.

“We are now focusing on high-quality local fruits. We want more farmers to plant these fruits and more plots of lands to be dedicated to the cultivation of local fruits,” Bali Agriculture Agency head Made Putra Suryawan said on Saturday.

The agency was concentrating on two local fruits, he said: a local variety of Mandarin oranges called jeruk keprok and durian bestala.

Cultivating jeruk keprok was once the primary livelihood for thousands of farmers in the northern coastal regency of Buleleng, Suryawan said.

The widespread attack of the Citrus Vein Phloem Degeneration virus in the mid-1980s completely destroyed local jeruk keprok plantations and created an economic crisis in Buleleng.

Durian bestala is a Balinese variety of the so-called “King of Fruits” that is found in Bestala village, Buleleng. Its soft texture and very sweet taste contribute to the fruit’s popularity.

“Both jeruk keprok and durian bestala are high quality local fruits and we are determined to make them the island’s leading agriculture products,” he said.

The agency sold jeruk keprok seeds for Rp 3,500 (38 US cents) per plant and durian bestala for Rp. 7,500 per plant, he said.

“Our seeds are cheap and of good quality,” Agency seed facility head Nengah Suta Maryana said, adding that the agency could produce up to 10,000 jeruk keprok and durian bestala seeds a year. — JP