Manifesting the Commitment to Empowering Farmers, Semen Gresik Holds a Fruit Harvest Festival in the Factory Area
Rembang, February 16, 2022 - PT Semen Gresik (PTSG), together with the farmers around the Company, held a Crystal Guava and Jumbo Sugar Apple harvest festival in the Rembang Factory horticulture farm, Central Java.
The farm was located at the land of Forest Area Borrow-to-Use Permit (IPPKH) in the Semen Gresik Operational Area. On the farm with an area of four hectares, hundreds of longan, durian montong, crystal guava, and jumbo sugar apple trees were cultivated.
The Head of Communications and CRS Unit, Dharma Sunyata, pointed out that the sugar apple and crystal guava harvest festival in the factory area represented their effort to develop a variety of agricultural businesses that ensured the sustainability of the land functions and benefits.
Also, he added, it proved the PTSG's commitment to improving the welfare, life quality, capacity, and socioeconomic condition of the farmers around the Company.
"The cultivation of horticultural crops can provide significant economic returns for the farmers. Our harvests are enjoyed and consumed by hundreds of farmers, proving that the land in the factory area can be productive,'' Dharma said in a press release, Wednesday (16/2).
He further stated that the presence of this horticulture farm could be the center of high-economic value fruits for the surrounding community. At the same time, this CSR program erased the concerns of many people about the establishment of the cement factory that might damage the environment.
He emphasized that the presence of this horticulture farm, where the transfer of knowledge and penetration of agricultural technology occurred, verified Semen Gresik's commitment to coexist with the community by offering them the best benefits and contributions.
"Horticulture is one of the innovations in agriculture that helps us optimize the land use. We are here to embrace the farmers around the operational area to work together, achieving productivity optimally," he said.
Dharma explained that the horticulture farm program proved the community involvement and empowerment in the agriculture sector so that they could manage the agricultural land optimally with food crop commodities that have high economic value.
Additionally, a farmer from Timbrangan Village, Susanto, admitted that he was pleased to join the harvest festival on that farm. He did not expect that fruits like crystal guava and sugar apple could thrive and bear fruit in the land around the factory area.
According to the freshly harvested crystal guava and jumbo sugar apple, Susanto claimed, each tree produced 20-30 kilograms of fruits. Together with other farmers, he planned to cultivate avocado trees in the horticulture farm.
''We highly appreciate Semen Gresik's CSR program that sincerely empowered the surrounding community through farming activities. We get a lot of benefits from this," he said.
