en.malanginspirasi.com – The Vice Regent of Malang, Dra. Hj. Lathifah Shohib, attended the Annual Activity Plan signing between the Malang Regency Government (Pemkab Malang) and Stichting Agriterra, held at the Pringgitan Pendopo Agung, Malang Regency, on Monday, July 6th.
Stichting Agriterra is an international non-profit organization from the Netherlands.
Founded in 1997, it focuses on strengthening agricultural cooperatives and farmer organizations in various developing countries to become professional, independent, and market-oriented business entities.
This collaboration with the Malang Regency Government is part of an effort to strengthen cooperative institutions and improve farmer welfare through more professional and competitive business management.
Commitment to Build Sustainable Agricultural Sector
In her remarks, Lathifah emphasized that the signing of the cooperation agreement was not merely a ceremonial event.
Yet, it turns out to be a shared commitment to building a sustainable agricultural sector by strengthening farmer institutions.
“Today, we are not simply signing a cooperation document. More than that, we are affirming our shared commitment that agricultural development is not simply about increasing crop yields, but also about ensuring farmers have strong institutions, broader market access, the ability to manage their businesses professionally, and obtain maximum added value from each commodity they produce,” she said.
She explained that Malang Regency has enormous agricultural potential.
With an area of over 3,500 square kilometers with diverse agro-climatic conditions, Malang Regency is one of the centers of food and horticultural production in East Java.
One of its leading areas is Ngantang District, which has long been known as a center for shallots with increasingly high quality.
This is the reason why there should be strengthening effort of farmer institutions.
This is to enable them in facing the challenges of increasing productivity, yield quality, business efficiency, and continuously evolving market competitiveness.
On that occasion, she conveyed five hopes that serve as a shared direction for the implementation of the collaboration between the Malang Regency Government and Agriterra.
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The collaboration include strengthening cooperative institutions as a pillar of the people’s economy, increasing farmer capacity through strengthening business management and commodity value chains, encouraging modern and innovative agricultural transformation, strengthening collaboration between all stakeholders, and making this collaboration a long-term investment to encourage farmer regeneration.
“This collaboration is also an investment for the future. We want agriculture to be a modern, profitable, and proud sector that can attract the interest of the younger generation to become resilient farmers and entrepreneurs. Farmer regeneration is one of the keys to ensuring that Malang Regency’s agricultural sector remains a driver of the regional economy in the future,” she said.
What Agriterra Country Manager Stated
Meanwhile, Agriterra Country Manager, Arsiya Isrina Wenty Octisdah, stated that Malang Regency is one of the regions with great potential for developing professional and competitive agricultural cooperatives.
Therefore, Agriterra has a strong commitment to continuously assisting cooperatives to become strong economic institutions and provide tangible benefits to farmers.
“This collaboration demonstrates our commitment with the Malang Regency Government to strengthen the capacity of cooperatives to ensure professional, transparent, and member-oriented governance. Through ongoing assistance, we hope cooperatives will be able to increase market access, strengthen business management, and create added value for the agricultural products produced by farmers,” explained Arsiya.
Furthermore, Arsiya stated that Agriterra’s assistance not only focuses on the institutional aspects of cooperatives, but also includes strengthening leadership, organizational governance, business planning, financial management, and developing partnership networks.
According to her, the synergy built with the Malang Regency Government is expected to produce cooperatives that are increasingly independent and professional, and become a driving force for improving farmer welfare.
Concluding his remarks, the Deputy Regent of Malang expressed her appreciation to Agriterra for their trust and commitment in continuing their partnership with the Malang Regency Government.
“Hopefully, this collaboration will be the beginning of various innovations and the strengthening of cooperative institutions that can increase the competitiveness of superior regional commodities, expand farmer welfare, and strengthen Malang Regency’s position as one of Indonesia’s leading agricultural and horticultural hubs,” she said.
The Vice Regent also invited all parties to make this collaboration a shared endeavor to realize advanced agriculture, independent farmers, professional cooperatives, and an increasingly prosperous and competitive Malang Regency.
