Kirana Megatara Group's Commitment
to Training Services
In 2012, the Kirana Megatara Group established its partnership with the Kliwon Training Center in Jambi, Indonesia. Operated by veteran rubber farmer Pak Kliwon, the Center commits to developing the proper farming skills essential to maximizing the productive life of rubber trees and the well-being of the rubber farmer communities in general.
While a large part of the rubber farmers in Indonesia never receive any technical advice, services, or aid from any official providers, Kirana Megatara Group has been securing the training services of Kliwon for over a decade. The partnership with this group of crumb rubber factories aims to fulfill its mission to improve the production quality of rubber within the country while managing and exercising sustainable agricultural practices.
Kliwon expressed that the joint development and the maintenance of high-quality rubber drive his passion for teaching others about sustainable rubber farming, referring to it as "his Godsent duty to share the knowledge [he has] to others."
Constantly striving for the best for the rubber farmer community, Kliwon claims that receiving profit for his services is his lowest priority. He reassures himself that God will reward him with more blessings if he continues fulfilling his duties as a mentor for others in the rubber community to idolize.
"For me, if I progress while my people and everyone else stay behind continuing incorrect and inefficient farming practices, then what's the point? The production of sustainable and quality rubber won't progress, making it a lose-lose situation for us farmers and the rubber companies," said Kliwon.
Kliwon's teaching experience comes from his tenure as a teacher in his local village, around 20 years before his commitment to rubber farming. At the time, the income received did not align with his personal needs; as a result, he focused on improving his skills as a farmer and bettering his fields.
The significance of having Kliwon as a model farmer partner was not lost on Kirana's Chief Sustainability Officer, Mr. Widyantoko Sumarlin. Sumarlin particularly pointed out the rubber nursery he had developed over the years. He used it to grow popular versions of clonal seeds and successfully developed his seed with a yield that had surpassed the performance of most rubber clones. This demonstrated Kliwon's passion and strength as a character, willing to persevere to achieve excellence despite the odds.
Sumarlin envisioned that Kliwon's partnership with Kirana would help advance the progress of the rubber community both in the agriculture and commercial senses. With more high-quality rubber produced, farmers will receive significantly higher prices for their produce.
"Kliwon is a partner of ours who has proven to produce rubber with consistently good quality. His successes, his dedication, and his valuable experience as a rubber farmer paired with his commitment as a model teacher were enough for us to do everything in our power to secure his training services," said Sumarlin.
With nearly all rubber production being of bad to low quality due to poor and inefficient practices, Kirana sought and continues to believe that their partnership will help ease that issue and improve the quality of rubber produced for the benefit of the company and the farmers. As Kliwon mentioned, many rubber farmers fall victim to the inability to maximize their revenue due to incorrect farming practices.
Sumarlin and Kirana were also attracted to the training facility Kliwon had built and operated. The facility consisted of available rooms for other studying and prospective farmers to stay and a nursery demo plot for the farming practices.
Additionally, Kliwon expressed the difficulties of teaching, which predominantly deals with his mentees' opinions and attitudes. A significant issue is the impatience of other farmers who aren't willing to engage in the relatively long process of rubber farming and submit to other practices for attractive faster income.
"Being a rubber farmer is different. Producing this rubber is a day-to-day routine while planting other crops, such as Palm Oil, is a sporadic, weekly process. Farmers can often receive income from other crops within the first few months," said Kliwon.
Committing his life to rubber farming and spreading his knowledge to others, Kilwon has become a renowned figure within the rubber industry nationwide.
Kliwon added, "In 1995, I was invited to the palace in Jakarta for my work. I'm happy that now I can help teach rubber farmers all over the country and not only in Jambi."
The Kirana Megatara Group deems the decade-long partnership with great success as a supplier for the company and its factories and a teacher for generations of rubber farmers.
"[Kliwon's] continuous, uninterrupted supply of natural rubber (NR) is of the highest quality with minimum contamination, on par with those from industrial plantations. A model for other smallholders in terms of responsibly and sustainably managing rubber gardens, Kliwon has and continues to serve as an effective lead NR trainer as part of Kirana's farmer program. He has consistently promoted Kirana group as the rubber processor of choice for fellow smallholders' commercial partner," said Sumarlin.
"The most rewarding thing is when you finally get to see your work and the work of others you've helped in the past come into fruition with good prices from the factories for your and their rubber," Kilwon concluded.