One of PT Jamkrindo’s fostered partners in the Ciletuh Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark area, UKM Saluyu, has begun to expand its reach and network to a broader market. This small business, which focuses on producing mango chips, participated in a networking event organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy organized a program aimed at improving the quality of human resources for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and promotional strategies through social media in the Ciletuh Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark area on Saturday, August 29, 2020. The event, held at Palangpang Beach in Ciemas District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java, was attended by MSME actors, including UKM Saluyu.
UKM Saluyu is one of Jamkrindo's fostered partners in the Ciletuh Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark (CPUGGp) area, and it produces mango chips, a unique souvenir from the Ciletuh Geopark. The leader of UKM Saluyu, Yudi Mulyadi, explained that the training focused on product promotion and marketing strategies for MSMEs through social media. "We were provided with knowledge on how to promote products through social media," said Yudi.
During the training, members of UKM Saluyu promoted their mango chips, which they began producing in mid-August. This mango production started as a business idea between PT Jamkrindo's team and the local community in Ciletuh Geopark. After identifying the potential of natural resources in the Geopark, PT Jamkrindo provided CSR assistance in the form of mango processing machines. Mangoes are one of the region's key commodities, but until now, they had not been processed into higher-value products.
According to the trainer from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the mango chips produced by UKM Saluyu are considered a creative and innovative product that utilizes local potential. Until now, there had been no signature souvenirs from the Ciletuh Geopark area, despite the increasing number of tourists visiting the region.
PT Jamkrindo started its economic empowerment activities in the Ciletuh Geopark area in September 2019, with an anti-plastic waste campaign, beginning with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between PT Jamkrindo’s President Director, Randi Anto, and Sukabumi Regent Marwan Hamami. The anti-plastic waste campaign is seen as an entry point for empowering the community, as PT Jamkrindo aims to promote the iconic tourist attraction of a plastic-free Geopark.
The hope is that the tourist area in the Ciletuh Geopark will become even more attractive to visitors, thus boosting the local economy. Before assisting UKM Saluyu with mango chip production, PT Jamkrindo supported the Ciletuh Homestay Association to add value to their business through hydroponic vegetable farming. In addition to being consumed by tourists staying at homestays or taken home, the hydroponic farming also serves as an educational tool for tourists visiting the Geopark.
In addition to economic empowerment, PT Jamkrindo has also carried out various activities in the area. These include tree planting at Palangpang Beach, providing trash bins, setting up reading gardens, distributing face masks, and putting up health protocol banners in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic.