In a statement received on Saturday, director general of plantations at the Agriculture Ministry, Andi Nur Alam Syah, said that the planting of early maturing coconuts in Solo Raya, Central Java, was part of the food security program as well as efforts to increase people's income.
"Solo Raya must be successful, maintenance and other needs must be met, not to be lacking," he added.
Under the program, the ministry is aiming to plant 1 million early coconuts in the 2022–2023 period by allocating assistance for seeds for growing 110 thousand early maturing coconut trees to Sukoharjo Regency, 58 thousand trees to Boyolali, and 59 thousand trees to Karanganyar.
The seed assistance was provided during the declaration of the “One Million Stem Early Coconut Planting” by President Widodo in mid-August 2022.
To ensure the program runs well, the ministry is conducting monitoring and evaluation in order to build an early-maturing coconut area that can improve people's income and the national economy.
Syah said that Solo Raya, especially Sukoharjo, has been selected as a model for other regions.
Good plant growth cannot be separated from people's enthusiastic response when planting and maintaining, he remarked. In Solo Raya, especially in Sukoharjo, coconut is processed into palm sugar and coconut oil.
He said that the allocation of the remaining 100 thousand coconut seeds for this year will be focused in Sukoharjo.
"Because a lot of land is still available and the public's response to planting with serious maintenance is very high. The Sukoharjo government also has a serious commitment to follow up on it," he added.
Some of the early varieties of coconut that have been chosen for the program include entog, yellow nias, yellow bali, pandanus fragrant, and kopyor. Genjah coconuts can be harvested within three to four years from the time of planting.
Each variety has its advantages, for instance, the entog variety has the potential for bearing 95 fruits per tree per year, with the number of fruits per bunch ranging from 6 to 7. Meanwhile, the sweetness of the fruit juice is 6 percent Brix, the weight of the fruit flesh is 437 grams, and the fruit can be harvested in the fourth year.
The yellow nias variety produces 60–120 fruits per tree per year, the weight of the fruit flesh reaches 159 grams, and the oil content is 62 percent. Nias yellow early coconut can be harvested once it reaches the age of 4 years.
As for the yellow bali variety, it has potential productivity of 60–110 grains per tree per year. The weight of the fruit flesh is 177 grams and the oil content is about 61 percent. This variety of coconut can be harvested from the fourth year.
Meanwhile, the juice of the Genjah pandanus coconut variety has a sweetness of 6.25 percent Brix.
The fruit water is aromatic and tasty and the young fruit flesh has a pandan-like fragrance and taste. It has a productivity of 151 grains per tree per year and can be harvested from the fourth year.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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