Government through Public Development Center for Forest Development Financing Helps Patteneteang Coffee Farmer through Akar Tani Cooperative

Director of RECOFTC Indonesia Country Program, Mr. Gamma Galudra accompanied representatives of Akar Tani cooperatives from Bantaeng Regency, Mr. M Irzad Syafar and Mr. Ramli Pattaneteang, and Balang Institute representatives Mr. Adam Kurniawan to meet the representatives of the Public Development Center for Forest Development Financing (BLU) in Jakarta. The BLU is a Work Unit in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry whose duty is to manage state finances and channel Revolving Fund Facilities to finance forestry development and environmental investment in the context of forest and land rehabilitation.

The Akar Tani Cooperative currently collect coffee from the local communities of the Pattaneteang village and its surroundings, including from the Village Forest. To support and assist the ongoing management of cooperatives, Akar Tani submitted a proposal for funding support from the BLU. This funding support is in the form of a revolving fund loan which can then be used by the Akar Tani Cooperative to carry out its business, from collecting coffee from village farmers, to processing and marketing of the products. With sufficient capital, the stability of cooperative activities will increase.

In this meeting, a proposal of Akar Tani Cooperative was received and approved by the  BLU and further funding support will be processed according to the agreed scheme. In the future, RECOFTC Indonesia will facilitate the Akar Tani Cooperative in a financial management training. At present, the Akar Tani Cooperative is managed by local farmers and most of them are village youth who have the potential to be a driving force for the development of their village. The Akar Tani Cooperative was also accompanied by RECOFTC Indonesia's local partner, Balang Institut in Bantaeng District, South Sulawesi.

Hopefully, this will be the first step for the Akar Tani Cooperative’s better development to support coffee farming in Pattaneteang village, and more broadly in Bantaeng District and its surroundings.