TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Executive column: Farmers need more than money, says CEO of agritech start-up Crowde

Agriculture peer-to-peer (P2P) lender Crowde provides farmers with seeds, equipment and training rather than cash, as CEO Yohanes Sugihtononugroho says that the platform aims to promote targeted loan use toward sustainable growth of farming as a business.

Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Mon, October 11, 2021 Published on Oct. 8, 2021 Published on 2021-10-08T16:29:01+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Executive column: Farmers need more than money, says CEO of agritech start-up Crowde Yohanes Sugihtononugroho is a cofounder and CEO of agriculture peer-to-peer (P2P) lending start-up Crowde, which provides noncash loans to smallholder farmers. (Courtesy of Crowde/-)

I

ndonesia is home to 33.4 million farmers, most of whom run small businesses with limited financial resources. A few start-ups are improving access to funds for farmers, but farmers need more than just money, according to agriculture start-up Crowde (www.crowde.co).

Crowde has provided noncash assistance totaling Rp 253.7 billion (US$17.77 million) in fertilizer, seeds and equipment, as well as long-term training, to tens of thousands of farmers since 2017.

The Jakarta Post’s Eisya A. Eloksari interviewed Crowde CEO Yohanes Sugihtononugroho on Sept. 24 to explore the start-up’s business model in a sector that seems nowhere near achieving its full potential. The following is an excerpt from the interview

Question: What inspired you to establish Crowde?

Answer: I became a farmer after graduating business school, but I was naive. I thought that being a farmer and living in the countryside would be nice. Turns out farming is not easy. I experienced crop failure and was a victim of fraud.

So although I did not have the talent to be a farmer, I still wanted to help them. I discovered that farmers, as part of the unbankable population, need financial support. There are also the challenges of middlemen and lack of access to farming facilities that I want to help them with, and that is why I established Crowde in 2015.

Could you tell us more about your business model, and why you opted for noncash loans?

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Executive column: Farmers need more than money, says CEO of agritech start-up Crowde

Rp 35,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 35,000

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.