Hence, I recommend to strengthen the production of the robusta variety from now on.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Minister Teten Masduki has encouraged robusta coffee from Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, to be one of the prominent products to be promoted at the 2022 MotoGP.

"The farmers of robusta coffee and other types of coffee in Lombok Island must present their products in a more modern and elegant manner amid the MotoGP event to be held in March 2022," Masduki noted in a dialog with the coffee farmer association at the Head of West Lombok District’s office hall, as quoted from a press statement received here on Thursday.

The minister suggested the coffee industry actors to maximize their businesses by opening more shops across the Lombok area amid the implementation of the international racing event that is expected to be watched by 100 thousand spectators.


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"If the tourists stay in Lombok for a week and drink coffee twice a day, then the coffee business players can earn major profits. In addition, the coffee places must be decorated with a modern design," he remarked.

At the domestic and international level, robusta coffee has quite a high market share, so the commodity is economically more superior than other varieties.

Hence, the minister is optimistic that Lombok coffee farmers would be serious in maintaining the productivity and quality of the coffee variety.

Masduki assessed that the robusta variety is easier to be cultivated, especially since global temperatures kept rising, thereby making it difficult to produce arabica coffee that has to be planted in cooler climate at highlands about one thousand feet above sea level.

“Hence, I recommend to strengthen the production of the robusta variety from now on,” he remarked.


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Meanwhile, Chairman of the Lombok Specialty Coffee Association Doddy Adi Wibowo echoed his side's readiness to market their best coffee products, especially the robusta variety, amid the upcoming MotoGP event.

Currently, the production of Lombok's robusta coffee reaches three thousand tons during each harvesting season, with most of it being absorbed by markets in Java's areas and abroad, he noted.

Thus, Wibowo is optimistic that the government would be able to provide integrated infrastructure for coffee plantation areas as well as cheap logistics and fertilizers to boost the farmers' productivity to meet the demand of domestic and international markets.


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Translator: Baqir Alatas, Uyu Liman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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