LOCAL FRUIT, HEALTHY FOODS ARE ESTIMATED

LOCAL FRUIT, HEALTHY FOODS ARE ESTIMATED

By :

Dr. Ir. Ni Nyoman Ari Mayadewi, M.P.

Agroecotechnology Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University, Bali

Email : arimayadewi@unud.ac.id

            Hearing the word 'local fruit' then what comes to our mind is the various types of fruit that we often eat in the village as a child. Imagine in our minds fruit with sour taste with small sizes. Our think is not entirely true. What is meant by local fruit is fruit that is cultivated in Indonesia regardless of where it came from, it can be in the form of native germplasm from Indonesia or originating from abroad.

Based on observations in the field, it was found that people's interest in consuming local fruits is still very low. In various markets, both traditional and modern markets, imported fruit seems to dominate the market. Supermarkets display imported fruit in refrigerated shelves, while local fruits are placed in baskets, which shows that local fruit is still in a position below the local fruit. The low interest of the community to consume local fruit is caused by among others the mindset (mindset) of the community who think that everything that is imported is always better, not accustomed to consuming local fruit to family members (especially to children), as well as quality, quantity, and local fruit continuity that is not well maintained. Mindset that imported fruit is always better, that is not entirely true. Many of us have encountered in Indonesia fruits with good taste and a toweric appearance. For example kelengkeng matalada, with large fruit, seeds, small, thick fruit flesh and fragrant aroma. Crystal Guava with attractive shape, crisp and distinctive taste. Guava water image with a charming shape, color, and taste that are salty and crunchy. There are many other types of quality local fruit.

Local Fruits

            Many types of local fruit, also provide a different flavor compared to imported fruits that enter Indonesia. Local fruit is also very rich in various vitamins and minerals. Imported fruits that enter Indonesia have more sweet taste, such as pear, apple, orange, grape, and kiwi. Another reason for the community's low interest in consuming local fruit is that many families do not accustom children or family members to consume local fruit. Parents only introduce certain fruits to their children from infancy, so children are not accustomed to local fruits that have very diverse tastes.

 Unattractive taste and appearance of local fruit also causes the local fruit to be less attractive in the community. Often found in fruit markets that taste sour, even though the fruit usually tastes sweet. This is the cause of sour taste is the result of farmers who harvest the fruit is not on time. Farmers usually want to quickly harvest their fruit because they want to immediately get money and pursue the next growing season. One concrete example in the field is Singaraja's black grapes. Farmers usually harvest their grapes when they are 95 days after pruning. At that time the taste of grapes is still sour. If only the farmer wants to postpone his harvest, and the grapes are harvested at the age of 105 days after pruning, the taste produced by the grapes is not inferior to the taste of imported grapes.

The appearance of the fruit is less attractive, often due to lack of knowledge of farmers about good farming practices (Good Agricultural Practices / GAP). Farmers often feel sorry for spacing out the number of fruits in one bunch or one tree. If there are too many fruits in one bunch, then the fruit will be small in size, and due to jostling in one bunch, the shape of the fruit is not perfect so it is less attractive to consumers.

In order for local fruits to be able to host their own home, it is necessary to have an active role from various parties. The government can make a Regional Regulation (Perda) on the empowerment of local fruits (already done by the Bali Regional Government), farmers add knowledge and insights to be able to implement GAP, so that quality agricultural products are multiplied. The community is obliged to foster a sense of belonging and love the local fruits of Indonesia, introducing various types of local fruits from the beginning to the children, so that children can enjoy the various flavors of local fruits. In this way the local fruit will be more prospective and can become its own host.