CSP and Polbangtan Gowa Sign the Agreement on Sustainable Cocoa Development
Gowa, April 06, 2023—The Agricultural Development Polytechnic (Polbangtan) of Gowa is an educational institution under the Agricultural Human Resources Extension and Development Agency (BPPSDMP), Ministry of Agriculture, in improving the educational quality by inviting various parties to work together, and produce professional, competitive, and entreprenuerial students.
For several years, the Cocoa Sustainability Partnership has established a cooperation agreement with Polbangtan Gowa as a joint effort to improve the quality of education and together are also actively involved in the development of sustainable cocoa in Indonesia. And this year, the two parties agreed to extend this cooperative relationship by signing a joint agreement.
This joint agreement will be implemented within three years with three scopes of cooperation. First, organizing education activities through lectures, field work practices, course visits, and utilization of infrastructure. The second is for the implementation of research activities, community service, development of applied science and technology in agriculture, and development of the Cocoa Teaching Factory. Lastly, graduates of the Gowa Polbangtan as potential work forces for CSP members if needed.
The parties involved in this agreement will also play a role in the form of technical support in institutional capacity building, transfer of knowledge, experience, innovative technology, exchange of learning, and a forum for sharing experience and collaboration.
The Director of Polbangtan Gowa, Detia Tri Yunandar hopes that this agreement will play a significant role in cocoa development. "We hope that this agreement can be utilized in implementing the university’s three main responsibilities of education, research, and community service (tridharma perguruan tinggi), especially in cocoa development at the Polbangtan Gowa. And CSP can collaborate in assisting and sharing technology with students," said Detia.
Wahyu Wibowo, CSP Executive Director, said that there are several important things that can be done in implementing the points of cooperation in this memorandum of understanding. One of the main issues that CSP and its members have been trying to do is how to bring certified cocoa seed sources closer to cocoa production areas in Indonesia. "Sulawesi Island, especially South Sulawesi, is the center of national cocoa production. However, the location of the certified cocoa budwood garden is far from the smallholder cocoa farmers," said Wahyu Wibowo.
He also added that with the resources owned by the Polbangtan Gowa, the construction of the cocoa budwood garden could be realized. Apart from being a place of learning, the budwood garden can also be a business advantage.
The Gowa Polbangtan owns about nine hectares of cocoa farms. It is hoped that this potential will not only be a source of income in the downstream sector, but also a place of learning for students such as seed management, GAP and post-harvest implementation. (CSP/AH)