UNS — Rizki Hafidz Muntaz, one of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta alumni who succeeded as an entrepreneur, who was starting his Organic Village (Desa Organik) business in May 2020. His business recorded a steady increase growth of monthly revenue up to 35%. Desa Organik is an outlet selling organic food products, such as organic rice. Not only providing one variety of organic rice, but the outlet also offers three types of organic rice, namely the pandan Wangi organic rice, pandan Merah organic rice, and pandan Wangi organic brown rice.
Acting as Co-Founder, Hafidz states that the idea of Desa Organik arises from his concern after meeting and conversing with farmers in Indonesia. The alumnus of Bachelor in Agricultural Extension & Communication Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture (FP) UNS, reveals that the main problem faced by the farmers involves low market absorption. Therefore, Hafidz is determined to solve the problem through the Desa Organik establishment and collaboration with farmers in the great Solo region.
Hafidz’s resolves to help the Indonesian farmers had started since he was still a student in UNS. To the uns.ac.id team, he recounts his biggest decision when taking the Agriculture study as his major in UNS. “As a Jakarta citizen, I want to get enrolled in the study program (t/n: Agriculture study program) because of the lack of interest in the program. However, after researching, I found many problems in the agriculture sector. Hence, with all of these problems, I think there must be numerous opportunities,” Hafidz states on Saturday (7/8/2021).
His decision is fixed with his resolution to let go of his hope to pursue an Engineering major, a study that he has been desired since High School. His first year in Agriculture study become an adaptation period for Hafidz. He tries to love this major he chooses while learning the Javanese language, which is a new language for him. His effort to learn the Javanese language further strengthen his relationship with the farmers he met. Hafidz found that somehow, farmers will always feel more at ease conversing in Javanese. Aside from his study, he also joins the Student Executive Board (BEM), which brings him to be the President of FP UNS BEM in 2018. Additionally, he is a member of the Indonesian Agriculture Student Executive Board (IBEMPI). In 2017, IBEMPI inaugurated him as part of the First National Presidium of Indonesian Agricultural BEM from October 2017 to early 2019.
Main Challenges for Indonesian Farmers
Hafidz’s organizational activities build his leadership skill and allow him to meet farmers from various regions in Indonesia such as Padang, Jember, Bandung, Jakarta, and other cities in West Java and East Java. In Central Java, under the FP UNS BEM initiatives, he was involved in Desa Binaan (t/n: a specific village that receives assistance from a particular organization or institution). After meeting numerous farmers, Hafidz finds that Indonesian farmers face a similar challenge in the marketing sector. “During those processes, a vital challenge (for the farmer) in the marketing sector. Because of the extensive distribution chain, their profit is low because farmers are the most affected party within the chain,” he explains.
Based on his finding on the problems, Hafidz is highly interested in studying more about organic agriculture. With his interest in the specific topic, he chooses organic agriculture as his undergraduate thesis topic and realizing the research result by establishing Desa Organik. Through Desa Organik, Hafidz is committed to helping Indonesian farmers to produce excellent products. Furthermore, Desa Organik also assists the farmers in choosing the right distribution channel and market. To this day, Desa Organik is actively involved in digital marketing through the website and marketplace. Several cities in the Jabodetabek region, where 40 million out of 270 million Indonesia population resided, become the main market target for the business. Moreover, the middle-upper community in the selected region is a suitable target for organic products.
Finding Business Opportunity During the Pandemic
The demand for organic products keeps increasing amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Hafidz, the ongoing pandemic encourages people to implement healthy life and consume organic food and low-calorie meal. This condition motivates Hafidz to further develop his business by conducting research on various other organic products such as organic coconut sugar, organic mushrooms, and a substitute for flavoring, namely organic mushroom broth. Other than product development, Hafidz also expands his business network by participating in the Paragon Entrepreneur Fellowship organized by Paragon Corp. Desa Organik is selected alongside 18 other businesses to receive Seed Grants under Entrepreneur Fellowship Program category. Additionally, Hafidz gets the opportunity to participate in a mentoring program with inspiring mentors, as well as receiving grants from Paragon Corp.
Hafidz’s venture through Desa Organik shows that concern can bring someone to success. His concern toward farmers’ welfare inspired him to build Desa Organik, which can solve the main problem faced by the farmers. Therefore, Hafidz realizes that university students have a crucial role in contributing to solving problems in the social, economic, agricultural, and medical fields as they are today. “I hope after graduated, my fellow UNS student can share their knowledge and solving various challenges, according to their field of study,” Hafidz concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Alinda Hardiantoro
Editor: Dwi Hastuti