T

he government is planning to develop up to 400,000 hectares of new fruit plantations across the country in the next few years in an attempt to improve both the quantity and quality of local fruit production to boost exports and survive competition against imported products.

The program, if well implemented, will help local farmers garner additional profits of about Rp 120 trillion (US$9 billion) annually, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on Monday.

“Six state-owned plantation firms in Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi have been involved in this development program,” he said.

One of the companies, PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII (PTPN VIII), for example, has developed around 22,000 ha of fruit plantations in the West Java cities of Sukabumi, Subang and Garut.

The new plantation areas will be used to grow fruit that has major commercial value, like avocados, bananas, durians, mangos, mangosteens, melons, oranges, papaya, pineapples, rambutans and watermelons.

In addition to developing fruit plantations, the Agriculture Ministry will also provide farmers with quality seeds to help increase productivity.

Data from the ministry showed that the total amount of fresh fruit exported last year was 68,555 tons, an increase of 68.27 percent compared to the 41,481 tons of fruit exported in 2014.

Meanwhile, the export value of fresh fruit was around $37.77 million in total last year, which was a 30.47 percent growth from $28.95 million in 2014. Mangosteen was the most exported fruit last year in terms of volume, with 38,071 tons shipped overseas for a total value of $17.09 million.

The value of Indonesia’s fruit exports, however, is significantly smaller compared to its imports.

Data from the Geneva-based International Trade Center, for example, showed that last year alone Southeast Asia’s largest economy imported 88,000 tons of citrus fruit worth a total of $127.4 million. Most of it was imported from China.

Separately, Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) rector Herry Suhardiyanto said the institute was currently conducting research to develop high-quality seeds for a number of products, including bananas, durians, mangosteens, melons, papaya and pineapples, in support of the government’s programs to expand fruit plantations.

One of the seeds being developed was that of Papaya Calina, which is commonly referred to as the California Papaya in the local market.

With the efforts of improving the productivity of local fruit, Amran also hopes to see an increase in fruit exports.

“We believe that this program [of developing 400,000 ha of fruit plantations] will be successful. We also believe that local fruit exports will increase in the coming years,” Amran said at a press conference to introduce the ministry’s annual Archipelago Flower and Fruit Festival.

The festival, aimed at introducing the richness of Indonesia’s fruits and flowers to the world, will take place from Nov. 17 to 20 in Bogor, West Java. About 500 foreign visitors and 10,000 local visitors are expected to come to the festival.

The festival will comprise international activities including exhibitions, business matchmaking, conferences and export business coaching and national activities such as a carnival, a fruit contest and a fruit and floriculture room decoration contest. (vny)