STRENGTHENING NATIONAL FARM REGENERATION, PETROKIMIA GRESIK AGAIN PRODUCES 55 YOUNG AGRONOMERS THROUGH TARUNA MAKMUR

Petrokimia Gresik, an Agroindustrial Solutions company and a member of the Pupuk Indonesia holding company, continues to strengthen its support for the regeneration of national farmers. Through the Taruna Makmur Batch 8 Program, the company is developing 55 young agronomists who are ready to directly assist farmers in the field.

Petrokimia Gresik's Director of Risk Management, Johanes Barus, at the recent Taruna Makmur Entrepreneurship event held in Gresik, East Java, stated that the dozens of young agronomists are active students from several agricultural educational institutions in Indonesia. They received training at the "Makmur School" and are currently deployed in the field as agronomists.

"While in the field, the Taruna Makmur are expected to act as mentors and agents of change. They assist farmers in implementing good cultivation practices, utilizing agricultural technology, and increasing productivity and sustainability of farming businesses. This program aligns with the government's agenda to develop competent agricultural human resources while supporting the acceleration of national food self-sufficiency," said Johanes.

The 27 students from Taruna Makmur Batch 8 come from the Agricultural Development Polytechnic (Polbangtan) in Malang. Thirteen students are from the Yogyakarta Institute of Plantation Education (LPP) Polytechnic; 12 students from Polbangtan in Bogor; and three students from Polbangtan in Medan.

"Through this program, active students from various agricultural educational institutions are given the opportunity to directly participate in mentoring farmers in the field, while simultaneously honing their technical, managerial, and social competencies as future young agronomists," he concluded.

Furthermore, Johanes hopes that the presence of Taruna Makmur will inspire the younger generation in Indonesia to participate in developing the agricultural sector. He believes that farmer regeneration is a problem in Indonesia's agriculture that requires support and active participation from many parties.

Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) indicates that more than 70% of Indonesian farmers are over 40 years old, while the proportion of young farmers aged 19–39 remains around 20%. This situation requires collective attention, as it has the potential to impact the sustainability of national production and food security in the future.

"Collaboration between the government, education, and the industrial sector is key to building a modern, productive, competitive, and sustainable agricultural ecosystem," he said.

Meanwhile, Petrokimia Gresik initiated the Sekolah Makmur program starting in 2022, and is currently in Batch 8. Since its launch, Petrokimia Gresik has produced 373 Taruna Makmur, who are qualified agricultural human resources (HR).

In this program, Petrokimia Gresik recruits active Polbangtan students to become Taruna Makmur. The goal is to provide them with the opportunity to intern as field agronomists for six months, while also strengthening their role in agricultural cultivation management to increase productivity and foster the regeneration of young farmers in Indonesia.

Students are very enthusiastic about participating in this program. The number of applicants for the Taruna Makmur program has increased year after year.

"This program proves that the synergy between vocational education and industry can produce high-quality young agricultural talent. Taruna Makmur is not only a learning space, but also a space for service and a tangible contribution to the future of Indonesian agriculture," Johanes concluded.