Rantau, Tapin - Farmers in Hiyung Village, Tapin Tengah District, Tapin Regency, South Kalimantan Province are now developing innovation by planting robusta coffee in swampy areas.
Head of the Tapin District Agriculture Service, Triasmoro, in Rantau Tapin, Tuesday said that cultivating robusta coffee in swampy areas is a new potential for Tapin, considering that this plant is usually grown in the highlands.
As is known, robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) is a species of coffee plant originating from central and western sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family .
"So far, coffee has been grown more in the highlands, but the success of farmers in Hiyung Village proves that swampy areas can also be productive," said Triasmoro.
According to him, this success is a reference for other farmers to diversify crops, especially for those who face obstacles in growing chilies or other commodities.
"The Agriculture Service will monitor the development of Robusta coffee. If it is proven to be sustainable and productive, we will push it more widely," he said.
Meanwhile, Robusta coffee farmers in Hiyung Amat Village said that the land currently being planted with coffee was previously used to plant Hiyung chilies but the harvest failed and they eventually switched to planting Robusta coffee.
"The initial planting was 260 Robusta coffee seedlings, thank God, now 250 coffee trees have survived and are growing well," he said.
Amat said the robusta coffee seeds planted came from Asam Randah Village, Hatungun District.
He added that the relatively stable price of coffee on the market was a motivation to try cultivating coffee on swamp land.
"In Tapin, coffee now has a good market with more and more coffee shops, but local coffee is not widely available, that's where the opportunity lies," he said.