BIBS Talk: Agriculture Business and Sustainable Growth

Indonesia is indeed known as an agrarian country. Indonesia is rich in natural resources, especially in terms of agriculture. So, it is not a surprise that an agriculture-based business can grow rapidly later. Moreover, someone can have a creative idea in developing a sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural business.

To support innovation and business development, Binus International Business Society (BIBS) held a seminar titled BIBS Talk: Agriculture Business and Sustainable Growth. The event was held on October 23, 2019, at the BINUS International University JWC Campus, in the Auditorium Room of 310 on Jalan Hang Lekir 1 No. 6, Senayan, Jakarta.

Concern for Agricultural Businesses with an Environmentally Friendly Concept

Although the MSMEs in agriculture have rapid development, it is not uncommon for businesses in the field of sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly concepts to get less attention from the public. The causes are various, ranging from the absence of concepts developed by the industry players, or because of the lack of information provided to the MSMEs.

Based on this problem, BIBS Talk: Agriculture Business and Sustainable Growth was held with the hope that it could be a solution for MSMEs, especially in the agriculture field, to get as much information as possible. This event presented speakers who are experienced and experts in their fields to convey how to manage interesting tips in managing MSMEs.

Presenting Inspiring Speakers

The seminar organized by Binus International Business Society (BIBS) indeed received a lot of public attention. Not only was the presented theme relevant to the current condition of agriculture and MSMEs, it also had inspiring speakers in the field of sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural businesses. Some of the speakers at the seminar included Adi Reza Nugroho, Irvan Helmi, and Joanina Novinda.

The three speakers have qualified skills in their own fields. For example, Adi Reza Nugroho is the CEO and co-founder of Mycotech, a business in fungi-based fashion and interior design. Adi’s main reason for picking mushrooms as the primary raw material is because they are environmentally friendly and easy to grow.

The next speaker was Irvan Helmi, co-founder of PT Anomali Coffee. The coffee business that was started by Irvan Helmi was originally based on a hobby. He also learned a lot about how to empower coffee farmers and give training about sustainable coffee cultivation.

Then, the last speaker was Joanina Novinda. She is the current chairperson of Sahabat UMKM.

The presence of Sahabat UMKM in the seminar made the event more complete because it was not merely about agricultural business matters. Joanina was more concerned with developing the MSME businesses in order to be able to compete on a global scale, especially in facing the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0.

Easier with the Support of Government Regulations

As the development of SME businesses based on sustainable agriculture rises, this is a positive signal for the government to improve the national economy. Like a tit for tat, the government also provides a lot of convenience in supporting SME businesses spread across the country. The same thing was said by Patria Mabrur as the Deputy of the General Secretary of Sahabat UMKM in his interview in his spare time during the event.

According to him, only two ministries in Indonesia focus on developing SMEs. However, along with the increasing growth of SMEs, there are currently around 20 institutions and agencies in the country that are concerned with SMEs. This can spur the growth of MSMEs for the better.

Besides that, the role of the government can also be seen from the existence of several regulations. Back then, the people considered that the regulations made tended to be convoluted, so for now, the government has begun to loosen regulations for SMEs. From business licensing to import-export permits, everything is made easy.

Then, the government which also cooperates with the private sector sometimes holds SME exhibitions. From these SME exhibitions, the entrepreneurs will be able to get quite a lot of information, whether it’s about information released by the government or information from other SMEs. Thus, it also makes it easier to build networks between SMEs in the country.

Furthermore, with the presence of the SME exhibitions organized by the government, it also opens up huge market potentials, since these SME products may gain interest in foreign markets. For instance, some MSME products have their own unique aspects and characteristics, particularly in the case of MSME businesses that have sustainable agriculture and are environmentally friendly.