Persistence of an Avocado Seedlings Farmer

Name: Persistence of an Avocado Seedlings Farmer
Uploaded: 2021-02-27T03:03:44Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: With a sense of calling, Ahmad Fahrizal, 32, has found success from avocado nurseries.

With a sense of calling, Ahmad Fahrizal, 32, has found success from avocado nurseries.

Johanes Galuh Bimantara

· 7 minutes read

With a sense of calling, Ahmad Fahrizal, 32, has found success from avocado nurseries. Through the cipedak avocado variety, the resident of Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, is persistent in introducing Jakarta in the world of agriculture.

"Treat plants like a doctor who wants to carry out surgery, like wanting to surgically remove a human hand," Fahrizal, better known as Rizal, told two interns from IPB University, Bogor, Saturday (20/2/2021). He was teaching grafting techniques to multiply cipedak avocado seedlings in his farm in Ciganjur subdistrict, Jagakarsa district.

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For the man who likes to wear a safari-style hat, plants are not just living things. Plants also have feelings. When the students wanted to cut and slice the rootstocks and shoots that would be grafted, they were asked to ask permission from the prospective seedlings first, giving words of comfort because the plant would be hurt for a while.

During the pandemic last year, he recorded sales of 15,000 seedlings, up 150 percent compared to 2019, namely 6,000 seedlings.

Rizal\'s humane treatment is proven to have made cipedak avocado return the favor. When many people have lost their livelihoods or decreased incomes due to the Covid-19 outbreak, he has been flooded with orders for seedlings. During the pandemic last year, he recorded sales of 15,000 seedlings, up 150 percent compared to 2019, namely 6,000 seedlings.

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Rizal does not only control the Jakarta market and its surroundings. His name has become popular among avocado seedling and fruit farmers in the country. He cited as an example, a consumer from Padang, West Sumatra, bought 1,000 seedlings; from Karawang, West Java, 3,000 seedlings; and from Jambi 1,000 seedlings.

He was reluctant to reveal the prices of the seedlings, but what was clear is that it is commensurate with producing premium grade avocado fruit at a price of Rp 50,000-Rp 70,000 per kilogram. Cipedak avocado fruit is classified on the top category because when it is ripe, the skin of the fruit is easy to peel like peeling a banana. The flesh is butter yellow, fluffier, slightly savory, not bitter, not fibrous, and "anti"-maggot.

Rizal\'s glory seems beyond reason amid the increasingly marginalized agricultural land in the capital. The 1,000 square meter land that is used as a nursery is not his. He leases the land every five years. If Rizal didn\'t use it, maybe the land would have been used for a house or building.

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As a native of Jakarta, Rizal does not want the biological heritage of his kampung to end up like the mascot plant of Jakarta, salak condet, which is sinking. The word "cipedak" refers to Kampung Cipedak in Jagakarsa district, the origin of the avocado. The cold hand of the late Nisan Badar alias Pak Nicang gave birth to this superior variety through shoot grafting in the 1990s.

The name cipedak avocado was officially recorded in 2015.

Then, the avocado was known by another name. A resident of this kampung, Jazuri alias Bang Jaxc, did not want the avocado\'s geographic identity to be lost. He tried to register the avocado as a variety native to Jakarta. The name cipedak avocado was officially recorded in 2015.

However, Rizal realized that establishing an official name would not necessarily result in the preservation of cipedak avocado. He estimated that there are fewer than 1,000 cipedak avocado trees in Jakarta. Even after the South Jakarta City Government encouraged the planting of cipedak avocado, the number only increased by 400 trees. Because of that, Rizal got involved in producing cipedak avocado seedlings starting in 2015.

Love for living creatures

The way of life in farming is the embodiment of Rizal\'s love for living things. As a child, he had a hobby of raising animals. "When raising chicken, he brought the thoughts about the activities to sleep. When raising fish, he slept near the aquarium," said Rizal, who is still caring for an albino snake.

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While at school, he enjoyed the biology lesson, especially memorizing the Latin names of various types of plants. He also disclosed to his family that he wanted to attend an agricultural high school.

His closest relatives questioned his will. However, Rizal remained steadfast so that he received the blessing of his parents to enter the Jakarta State Agricultural Development School (now SMK Negeri 63 Jakarta) in 2003. He proved his persistence so that for three years at the school he did not pay a penny for education because he received a scholarship.

In 2007, Rizal continued his education at the Agribusiness Study Program, School of Agriculture, Islamic University 45 (Unisma), Bekasi. He got a scholarship while studying.

Rizal was studying while working as an agricultural extension officer in Jakarta, with a working area in North Jakarta. Working as a trainer for four years gave him a great opportunity to become a candidate for the Jakarta State Civil Servant (ASN).

However, Rizal would be dissatisfied if his knowledge from school was simply used to get a comfortable job. In 2011, he resigned and started an agriculture business.

Steep roads became the opening menu for Rizal as an agriculture entrepreneur in the 2012-2013 period. He started his business by growing vegetables, such as water spinach and mustard greens. However, he was unable to market it, so the vegetables he produced were made into compost. "In reality, my business at that time was just a hobby, not a business one," he said.

Now, he proves that his father\'s sacrifice was not in vain.

Then, Rizal switched to teaching extracurricular activities at school, including teaching Boy Scouts. Didi Muhadi, Rizal\'s father, was concerned about the condition that he challenged him. If Rizal still had a heart for agriculture, Didi would quit his job as a furniture business employee and help Rizal with planting. His father\'s intention made Rizal even more challenged with agriculture. Now, he proves that his father\'s sacrifice was not in vain.

The success of Rizal in farming in Jakarta does not only make the number of customers increase, but also more and more are curious about the key to his success. He frequently becomes a speaker in discussions or trainings held by various institutions.

He limits a maximum of five PKL students at one time for the internship activities.

Students who practice field work (PKL) are not only from IPB University. Since the coronavirus outbreak began to hit, students from 13 universities have conducted internship in his small farm. He limits a maximum of five PKL students at one time for the internship activities.

Rizal also often conducted shoot grafting training to multiply avocado seedlings in his farm. In addition, he shared various knowledge of avocado seedlings multiplication through the Insinyurtani TV YouTube channel.