Petrokimia Gresik Departs 38 Taruna Makmur

Petrokimia Gresik, an Agroindustrial Solutions company and holding member of the Pupuk Indonesia, dispatched 38 Batch 2 Makmur Taruna, as well as graduated 30 Batch 1 Prosperous Cadets in Gresik, East Java, recently. Those who are dispatched will be tasked with providing agricultural assistance in various regions of Indonesia, namely East Java, Central Java, West Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara.

Petrokimia Gresik Operations and Production Director, Digna Jatiningsih, after departure, said that the Makmur cadets who departed were the second batch. They have received provisions from Sekolah Makmur in collaboration with the Agricultural Human Resources Extension and Development Agency (BPPSDMP) of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kemenan) of the Republic of Indonesia.

"Sekolah Makmur is a form of Petrokimia Gresik's responsibility to advance agriculture in Indonesia. This program was initiated to optimize the implementation of the Makmur Program of the Ministry of SOEs and the Agrosolution Project of Pupuk Indonesia Group. Through Sekolah Makmur, Petrokimia Gresik strives to produce superior human resources in agriculture called Taruna Makmur to oversee the increase in planting productivity in various regions " Digna said.

The Makmur cadets who departed this time consisted of 27 students and eleven female students from three Agricultural Development Polytechnics (Polbangtan), namely Polbangtan Yogyakarta - Magelang (15 people), Polbangtan Malang (13 people ) and Polbangtan Bogor (10 people).

"At present, the Prosperous Cadets are ready to go into various regions. They will later play a role in assisting agricultural cultivation in the region to support increased productivity and income of farmers who are partners of the Makmur Program and Project Agrosolution," she said.

The briefings provided in Sekolah Makmur include practices related to soil testing and agricultural cultivation, agricultural solutions through Petrokimia Gresik products, mental coaching, and team building, as well as various provisions from agricultural practitioners.

"This program is one of our ways to make it easier for farmers to get solutions to various problems that have been experienced by farmers," she added.

While related to the graduated Taruna Makmur, Digna revealed that they were very excited about carrying out tasks such as mentoring farmers, educating farmers regarding quality agricultural products, and approaching the stalls. She hopes that the knowledge gained can be a guide for Taruna Makmur graduates when playing a role in the next agricultural sector.

Deputy Director of Polbangtan I Yogyakarta - Magelang, Sujono who was also present at the event appreciated the Makmur School initiated by Petrokimia Gresik. Because

Through this program, Polbangtan students will get a lot of new material related to agriculture that they did not learn in college.

"Learning competencies or best practices is to go to the field. They will get material that is not all obtained from lectures, such as communication problems with farmers, technical, and understanding of the character of farmers. This is expected to continue," he explained.

One of the Prosperous Cadets from Polbangtan Malang, Dwi Ayu Setyarini admitted that she was happy to get the opportunity in this program. Thus, the student who was born into a farming family in Kediri claimed to be able to do real things to help farmers in increasing agricultural productivity and welfare.

"We will prove to the younger generation that the agricultural sector is very potential to be engaged, especially now that there are many modern technologies that are more effective and efficient for farming. Through Taruna Makmur, we want to play a role as food fighters," she said.

AgriTalk 3

Meanwhile, at the departure of Taruna Makmur, AgriTalk 3 was also held to find solutions to problems in the agricultural world with the theme "Independent Food, Independent State." Present as a speaker Director of Operations and Production

Petrokimia Gresik, Digna Jatiningsih, Director of PT Sinergi Gula Nusantara (SGN), Suhendri as a sugar sub-holding entity of PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) Group, and Saptorini is always the Coordinator of Education Programs and Cooperation at the Center for Agricultural Education, Agency Extension and Development of Agricultural Human Resources, Ministry of Agriculture.

About Taruna Makmur, regeneration in the agricultural sector is one of the problems that must be a common concern so that agriculture in Indonesia is sustainable. Digna said that Sekolah Makmur is also one of Petrokimia Gresik's efforts in encouraging the regeneration of farmers in the country. As is known, Petrokimia Gresik always actively involves the younger generation in efforts to optimize the agricultural sector, one of which is through the Young Farmer Jamboree held every year, and this time through the Prosperous School.