Bogor, West Java, Indonesia – May 29, 2013 – PT. Cargill Indonesia has announced a poultry farming mentorship program that provides hands-on training to high school students. As part of the program, Cargill has donated a teaching farm stocked with 500 local Ayam Kampung Super (AKAS) day-old chickens. Students from Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK) Agri Insani, a vocational school in Indonesia, will be the first to benefit from a 90-day program on how to develop and manage poultry farms.
The farm is fully equipped with tools including eating and drinking containers, temperature-controlled chicken cages and Cargill-supplied chicken feed. During the program, Cargill experts closely mentor students as they learn how to raise the local chickens from hatchlings till they are harvest-ready. Students are also tutored in farm business management, where they learn skills such as profit and loss calculation, feed efficiency and capital management.
Akkarit Boontawee, managing director of Cargill Feed and Nutrition Indonesia said, “Our intent is to support Indonesia’s smallholder farmers by helping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of farming practices. Every year, we at Cargill Feed and Nutrition Indonesia commit one percent of our annual earnings towards smallholder farmer training and rural development programs to give back to the communities where we live, work and do business. We hope that by training the young students of Agri Insani in the techniques of modern breeding, they will leave the program well-equipped to support and contribute towards the growth of Indonesia’s chicken farming industry.”
According to research group Business Monitor International, poultry accounts for around 60 percent of total meat demand in Indonesia, with the production and consumption of poultry growing 3.7 percent and 5.7 percent annually respectively over the past decade. Demand for poultry is expected to increase with Indonesia’s rising population and income growth, with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) projecting a 30 percent rise in Indonesians’ broiler meat consumption, from 1.53 million metric tons in 2012 to an estimated 1.98 million metric tons in 2021.[1]
Mr. Bachtiar, principal of SMK Agri Insani said, “I’m very pleased and grateful that Cargill has set up this initiative. I believe the program’s emphasis on expert mentorship and hands-on training will prove to be valuable in giving our students the practical skills and confidence to become successful chicken farmers and entrepreneurs.”
SMK Agri Insani student, Muhammad Edward said, “I am glad to be able to take part in this program as it provides me with a more complete set of skills. Our learning goes beyond the classroom and we are given field practice with the teaching farm. This addition to our syllabus is also very useful, as we previously learned only about agriculture farming – chicken farming is new to us. I believe that this new knowledge will give me more opportunities when I graduate.”
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About Cargill
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 142,000 people in 65 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit www.cargill.com and its news center at www.cargill.com/news/index.jsp
About Cargill in Indonesia
Cargill began doing business in Indonesia in 1974 by establishing a feed mill in Bogor, West Java. Today, Cargill - which is headquartered in Jakarta - has over 11,000 employees and offices, manufacturing plants and facilities throughout the country. Business activities comprise animal nutrition, cocoa, grain and oilseeds, palm oil, and sugar. Cargill is a responsible corporate citizen of Indonesia, and its local programs foster responsible and sustainable development, help protect the environment and nourish the people and possibilities that reside in local communities. For more information, visit www.cargill.co.id
[1] Source: FAPRI-ISU 2012 World Agricultural Outlook
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