BATANG FARMERS' STRUGGLE FORUM IMPROVES THE WELFARE OF FARMERS IN KURIPAN VILLAGE IN CENTRAL JAVA THROUGH A PRODUCTION COOPERATIVE

Members of the Batang Farmers' Struggle Forum (FPPB) depend on cultivating 151 hectares of reclaimed land for their livelihood. Their organization is located in Kuripan Village, Batang Regency, Central Java. They cultivate rice and secondary crops on the land. However, the need for quick cash, especially during the planting season, often leads them to incur debts to middlemen. This creates an economic dependency that is difficult to break.

The FPPB then established a production cooperative as a solution to this problem. The cooperative was intended to purchase the grain owned by its members. In this program initiative, the FPPB Cooperative successfully purchased 16 tons of grain from its members at a price of Rp 6.000 per kilogram. After drying, the grain was reduced to 10,4 tons and sold to a rice mill in Indramayu for Rp 10.000 per kilogram.

In the process of collecting and purchasing the grain harvested by members, FPPB encountered several challenges directly related to product quality management as well as challenges faced by farmers. The first challenge related to the grain harvest that fell short of targets due to pests. The second challenge was the rainy weather that affected the grain yield during natural drying. A strategy that can be implemented for the next planting season is for FPPB to intervene so that members plant at the same time to avoid pest problems. Meanwhile, regarding rice drying, the development of supporting infrastructure, such as greenhouses and grain drying machines, is needed to eliminate dependence on the weather.

The initiative to establish this cooperative has successfully improved the welfare of its members while strengthening the solidarity of the movement. Harvested grain, previously sold to middlemen, is now collected by the cooperative at a higher selling price. Likewise, dependence on capital or debt from middlemen during the planting season has gradually been eliminated due to increased income. By purchasing members' grain, the FPPB Cooperative has increased the selling price by Rp8.000.000, or approximately 8,33%. This initiative has directly impacted the 412-hectare area and the 2.480 people living in Kuripan Village.