"Our target is to support millennial farmers. We have trained 60 people. Hopefully, we can send those 60 people to Japan for apprenticeships," Garsadi stated when contacted on Tuesday.
The West Java provincial government has implemented the Millennial Farmer Program, with the objective of developing the province's young farmers in various agriculture commodities.
Garsadi is upbeat that those millennial farmers would later share the knowledge that they obtained in Japan with members of the younger generation that are keen to become farmers.
"We hope, after they join apprenticeships there, the output is they will have skills and networks. Thus, once they return here, they can become an example for the younger generation," he stated.
According to the office head, millennial farmers would show the younger generation that despite living in villages, they can have the same income as people in urban areas, and through e-commerce, their businesses can go global.
Currently, products of millennial farmers are sold at Millennial Farmer Outlets at several locations, such as the Cihampelas Walk mall in Bandung City, Botani Square mall in Bogor City, and Bandung Train Station. The products sold include honey, coffee, palm sugar, and lime juice.
The presence of those Millennial Farmer Outlets is expected to boost the enthusiasm of millennial farmers in driving their productivity, as their products can foray into premium markets.
Main Expert Policy Analyst at the Regional Secretariat of West Java Province Dewi Sartika stated that the Millennial Farmer Outlets align with West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil's mission to produce young farmers whose products could be marketed.
"Thus, we do not only develop the millennial farmers but also assist them, (provide) capital assistance, including in marketing. These outlets are a concrete form of facilitation in marketing," she remarked.
Sartika further noted that the Millennial Farmer Program is expected to tackle the problem of limited labor by increasing productivity and achieving food self-sufficiency in West Java. The opportunity is relatively vast if pursued by young farmers, who are creative and tend to master digital technology, she stated.
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Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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