Bali's Kusamba Salt Becomes an Additional Indonesian Foreign Exchange
Export activity is one indicator of a country's economic growth. To encourage exports, financing, guarantees, and insurance are needed to develop community capacity to be able to export.
The Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI)/Indonesia Eximbank, which is a Special Mission Vehicle (SMV) of the Ministry of Finance, has a Foreign Exchange Village assistance program.
This program provides assistance to groups or clusters that have the potential to carry out sustainable commodity production activities with the goal of increasing local community capacity and developing village superior commodities.
Klungkung Regency, with its salt commodity, has become the 26th foreign exchange village. The collaboration between the Directorate General of State Assets (DJKN) of the Ministry of Finance, the Klungkung Regency Government, and LPEI, which was previously stated in the Memorandum of Understanding, became the axis of the Kusamba Klungkung Salt Foreign Exchange Village program, which has a vision to bring quality local salt to be more global.
Kusamba salt has been known since the Klungkung Kingdom era, so it needs to be developed as a foreign exchange earner. The Kusamba Salt Foreign Exchange Village Program will provide various types of assistance, from production aspects to marketing abroad. The benefits will be felt by more than 100 salt farmers in Kusamba Village and Pesanggrahan, Klungkung Regency, "said LPEI Executive Director James Rompas on Wednesday (11/10/2021).
The salt produced by farmers who are members of the Mina Segara Dana Cooperative has premium quality and is traditionally processed and dried on a coconut trunk, which is split into two parts as a drying medium, resulting in a savory taste, a white color, a smooth texture, and a low salty taste.
The assistance provided to further improve product quality includes the production of Bali Sea Salt Rub, branding development, trade shows, business matching, and product certification.
Ministry of Finance, DJKNBali Nusra, as one of the program's initiators, is also excited about the continued commitment of a number of parties to advance Kusamba Village in Klungkung.His party stated that they are ready to support Kusamba Salt products to become more widely known and of good quality. On the same occasion, Bali Governor Wayan Koster conveyed appreciation for this Foreign Exchange Village program, which is in line with its focus on salt commodities in Bali. He is optimistic that the quality potential of Kusamba Salt can be optimized through programs and collaborations between the regional and central governments.
Thus, Garam Kusamba, which is a legacy of Klungkung's ancestors, has become increasingly competitive at the local, domestic, and international market levels, and its success can also be felt by salt farmers in the Klungkung area, Bali.
The Foreign Exchange Village Program started in 2019 with the Cocoa Foreign Exchange Village Cluster in Bali. Jembrana is the first foreign exchange village that has a superior commodity in the form of fermented cocoa beans, and then there is the Craft Foreign Exchange Village in Bantul, Yogyakarta, with its unique and environmentally friendly handicraft products, so that it has been able to export sustainably to European countries. November 2021: LPEI has launched the Foreign Exchange Village program in West and East Java, namely the Subang Coffee Foreign Exchange Village, Ijen Banyuwangi Foreign Exchange Agrotourism Village, and Gresik Weaving Foreign Exchange Village.
The total beneficiaries of the program to date have reached 2,894 farmers, weavers, and craftsmen, and in the future it will continue to grow. Through this Foreign Exchange Village Program, it is hoped that local Indonesian products can become global export commodities and have a positive impact on improving the economy, social and environment for the community. local people. Meanwhile,
Supporting Buleleng Local Salt, Buleleng DKPP Service Proposes Geographical Indication Product Branding.
In order to increase the selling power of Buleleng's local salt, the Department of Food and Fisheries Security (DKPP) of Buleleng Regency proposed the branding of geographically indicated products for traditional salt produced by Buleleng.
The Head of DKPP Kab. Buleleng, I Gede Aryana, who met on Friday (12/11), said the move was in line with the Circular Letter (SE) of the Governor of Bali Number 17 of 2021 concerning the Utilization of Traditional Local Balinese Salt Products.
As is known, geographical indication product branding is intellectual property that indicates the area of origin of a product, which, due to geographical environmental factors, is able to give reputation, quality, and certain characteristics to the resulting product, so as to increase the selling value of the product.
To build a local salt brand in Buleleng, his party strives to fulfill the requirements for submitting the index. So far, his party has compiled a description of Buleleng's local salt.
Buleleng local salt labels are complete. At Astungkara this year, geographical indications will be made for Buleleng local salt labels. We'll just have to wait for the results of the lab tests, "added the Head of the Service, who once served as the Head of Busungbiu Sub-district.
In addition, in order to improve the quality of local salt, Buleleng DKPP Kab. Buleleng also, since 2011, has always provided assistance to salt farmers in Buleleng Regency.
Through this assistance, salt farmers are provided with facilities and infrastructure that support the manufacture of salt.
The assistance, Aryana said, included the construction of a greenhouse in Pemuteran Village and the procurement of a salt manure production facility in Tejakula Village.
Through all the efforts that have been made, Aryana hopes that the people of Buleleng will come to love Buleleng's local traditional salt more.