Starfruit (malangkota.go.id) – Residents of RW V Jl LA Sucipto, Blimbing Village, Blimbing District, Malang City cultivate catfish and develop starfruit agribusiness by utilizing the limited land they have.
Head of the Environmental Cadre of RW 5, Blimbing Village, Mochamad Antik, said that catfish cultivation had been pioneered since March 2022. Meanwhile, starfruit cultivation is carried out side by side because watering the starfruit trees uses water from the catfish pond. At the same time, starfruit cultivation is encouraged to make starfruit an icon of the region.
"For catfish cultivation, we have developed enlargement, there are also processed catfish products, we also serve the buying and selling of catfish of all ages, starting from catfish seeds, juvenile catfish, ready-to-eat catfish, catfish for fishing, we serve all," explained Antik, Saturday (5/8/2023).
Antik said that the catfish cultivation in his place is named Gubuk Lele Tirta Amerta which has also been fostered by the Malang City Food and Agriculture Security Service (Dispangtan). "Although the land is narrow and located in a densely populated area, we always try to optimize it so that it can increase the income of group members and residents around RW V," explained Antik.
Meanwhile, for the development of starfruit agribusiness, Antik said that in the RW V area, various processed products from starfruit have been marketed, including starfruit juice, starfruit chili sauce, starfruit juice, starfruit jelly and also starfruit tabulampot. "For starfruit juice, we can produce and use up to 1.000 bottles per month," added Antik.
Processed starfruit products, said Antik, are usually made when there is an order. This is done to avoid losses, because the products are made without preservatives so they do not last long.
Furthermore, Antik said that for marketing its processed products, be it catfish or starfruit, his party utilizes social media as a medium that is currently considered more effective for introducing and marketing products other than through exhibitions.
Along with the development of businesses and also the level of public awareness to utilize every inch of available land to be productive, according to Antik this is real evidence that the slogan carried by RW V Kelurahan Blimbing Berbinar (Useful, Clean and Beautiful) is very appropriate. (cah/yon)
