Technical Assistance II
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Industry, and Ministry of Agriculture, ARISE+ Indonesia has organised a series of capacity-building activities. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of extension officers, farmers, small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), and exporters in the spices sector, particularly those with Geographical Indication (GI) certification. This will facilitate their compliance with international food safety standards, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), in the spices industry.
A training session on the Implementation of HACCP Requirements for Muntok White Pepper took place between June 13-16, 2023, in the West Bangka and South Bangka districts of the Bangka Belitung Province. The training was designed to improve the participants' knowledge and understanding of HACCP management and certification, gearing them up for the HACCP certification audit slated for December 2023.
ARISE+ Indonesia's Food Safety and Quality Assurance Senior Expert, Nurdiansyah Yusup, led the training, supported by ARISE+ Indonesia's Export Quality Senior Expert, Arief Safari. They provided a comprehensive lecture on the implementation of HACCP, following which the 20 participants of local extension officers were assigned the task of developing HACCP documents.
On the second day, the training was expanded to include 30 farmers from the Tani Makmur farming group. Discussions revolved around a guidebook titled "Quality Handling for White Pepper." This publication, a collaborative effort between the Directorate General of Plantations within the Ministry of Agriculture and ARISE+ Indonesia, provides a detailed roadmap for implementing Good Handling Practices (GHP) and HACCP specifically tailored for white pepper.
Shinta Rulyantie, Sub-Coordinator for Extension Officers of the Bangka Belitung Provincial Agriculture and Food Security Office, spoke appreciatively of the training. "We're grateful for ARISE+ Indonesia's facilitation of this much-needed training to tackle export quality and standards challenges. Going forward, we'll share the training materials with all pepper farmers in Bangka Belitung to boost quality and conformity. Hopefully, our pepper products will soon meet the mark, elevating our exports."
A Tani Makmur Farmer Group member, Budi, expressed gratitude for the improved insights and knowledge on HACCP obtained from the training. He plans to implement HACCP gradually, hoping to improve the quality of his pepper products. Moreover, Budi advocates for the local agriculture office to continue sharing the training, thereby boosting the overall quality of Muntok pepper. "I hope the local agriculture office continues disseminating this training so more farmers can benefit," Budi said.
Similarly, Hatami Nugraha, CEO of a spice exporting company in Bangka, expressed his satisfaction with the training. "We are very happy to receive this HACCP training because we have never had it before. This is a very positive complement to our efforts to restore the glory of white pepper in Bangka. Thank you very much, ARISE+ Indonesia, for the support," he said.
The program was extended to another 50 local extension officers of white pepper facilitators and farmers from Sesendok Sepiring Farming Group in West Bangka and further training for GI-certified Koerintji Cinnamon to more than 80 provincial, district and exporter facilitators and farmers from June 20-22, 2023, in Kerinci District, Jambi Province.
According to Arief Safari, ARISE+ Indonesia is committed to designing a comprehensive capacity-building program that complements other Priority Area activities within ARISE+ Indonesia to maximise the outcomes. He noted, "The HACCP training program, targeted at the Geographical Indication (GI) certified spices sector, has a multi-faceted aim. It not only seeks to enhance the quality of Indonesian GI-certified spices, but also assists stakeholders in the Indonesian Export Quality Infrastructure by improving their compliance with international standards and regulations. Furthermore, it plays a contributory role in the 'Indonesia Spice Up the World' initiative launched by the government."
