ORANGE — In addition to being famous as a City of Culture and a City of Students, agribusiness products in Yogyakarta are also something to be proud of. Various fruit products have been successfully grown by farmers in Yogyakarta with very good quality.
One of them is Siamese Oranges in the South Coast area which was initiated by Yuni Martono (50) from Soge Hamlet, Srigading Village, Sanden District, Bantul. Yogyakarta.
Together with 50 of her colleagues who are members of the Farmer Communication Forum Association “Ngrembaka Nir Sambikala”, Yuni started a Siamese Orange cultivation business in 2019. Initially, only a few trees managed to bear fruit, but over time, all the plants bore fruit abundantly.
One tree can reach 20 – 30 kg. In addition to being sold to the market, this fruit garden is open to the public, visitors can pick as many Siamese Oranges as they like, for 1 kg visitors only need to pay IDR 10,000.
“Every harvest on average manages to sell 8 quintals,” explained Yuni.
Yuni explained that her success in planting oranges on coastal land that is mostly sandy is not easy. This is because the skill of processing poor soil into fertile soil requires enthusiasm and hard work. In addition, she also learned from many parties, and conducted several trials until her plants could produce according to her wishes.
Because it is on sandy land, the main challenge in caring for these plants besides routine fertilization is also more frequent irrigation. For fertilizer, Yuni admitted to using manure which is cheaper and easier to obtain. Meanwhile, for irrigation of these orange plants, irrigation is used from a water pump.
Another challenge in planting oranges is the treatment of pests that often attack such as fungi and plant lice that make orange leaves curl and then die. To overcome this, Yuni also learned from agricultural extension workers and other farmers who are more experienced so that she can overcome diseases that will attack her plants.
Her success in planting Siamese Oranges has made Yuni very obsessed with making the South Coast Area of Yogyakarta an Agro Business place, especially for the Siamese Orange plant type. This could be an alternative for farmers, who have so far only depended on watermelon and melon plants.
Yuni admitted that so far visitors have come as individuals. Therefore, her party plans to manage the South Coast area into an agribusiness tourism area. In addition to enjoying the sweetness of Siamese oranges, tourists can also enjoy the beautiful views of the beach
“We are preparing and arranging this in that direction. Moreover, this location is very close to the Southern Cross Route. So it is very strategic for tourists to reach,” said Yuni.
In addition to preparations as an agribusiness tourism center, this area is also being prepared as a center for agribusiness studies, especially Siamese orange plants. Therefore, her party invites anyone who is interested in planting Siamese oranges to study here.
“People initially thought that oranges could only bear fruit in yards and mountains. It turns out that we have succeeded in proving that orange plants can bear fruit well in coastal areas and sandy soil. Hopefully this can inspire other farmers. ” said Yuni. (*)
