IPB University Students Gagas Investani, Interest-Free Capital Application for Farmers

IPB University Students Gagas Investani, Interest-Free Capital Application for Farmers

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Research

A group of IPB University students through the Student Creativity Program in the field of Constructive Futuristic Ideas (PKM-GFK) created the Investani application. A website that can help find alternative sources of interest-free funding for farmers.

The team consisting of Ardian Pribadi Widyanta, Yoga Rivaldi and Sekar Dhamayanti brought farmers together with investors and markets. In addition to helping with capital, lending funds at Investani can also follow the planting period.

“For investors, Investani is expected to be a profitable alternative investment instrument. Investments can be made starting from one hundred thousand rupiah so that people who are just learning to invest can use it and help farmers, “Ardian said as Team Leader.

According to him, Investani makes it easy for investors to meet with farmers and farmers with a flexible market because it can be accessed anywhere through the website. There are two programs presented at Investani namely Agricultural Investment and Listing.

This investment was created because of the difficulty of access to capital media for farmers provided by the government and the private sector. Though the agricultural sector plays an important role in economic development and development in Indonesia. Like the alternative funding program for People’s Business Credit (KUR), this program is deemed incompatible with the needs of farmers because the Farmers Business Credit (KUR) loan system establishes a system of interest that must be paid every month, even though the majority of agricultural commodities cannot be harvested within one month.

In addition, farmers also need stable demand and prices. Both of these can be achieved with a contract or future market system between farmers and large consumers such as large traders and retailers. However, large consumers are only willing to buy good continuity products so that large consumers have the certainty of supply of agricultural commodities.

“Seeing this problem, Investani is here to help micro and small farmers improve their welfare. We use a reward-based, profit-sharing crowdfunding system. Crowdfunding is a funding system that allows an agricultural project to be funded by more than one investor by giving reciprocity to lenders with the amount, time period and method of providing agreed revenue sharing, “he said.

The program is expected to be an alternative funding in the right farming because it does not set interest and use the profit sharing method in accordance with the agreed amount and time period. The sustainability of Investani can be maintained by the transparency of funding and mutually beneficial cooperation between farmers, investors, and Investani management.

“Investani routinely controls and reports on agricultural projects funded by Investors. Investani also provides training and market access to farmers if needed, “he added.

Investani has assisted potato farmers in the Magelang area in managing 0.7 hectares of agricultural land, funding Edamame farmers in the Gadog-Puncak area to manage 0.5 hectares of agricultural land, and has funded white oyster mushroom farmers in the Temanggung area to cultivate 10,000 baglogs of oyster mushrooms. .

“A positive response was shown by farmers who increasingly had targets in running their farms. Mr. Amin, a mushroom farmer in Temanggung plans to plant 100,000 baglogs of oyster mushrooms in 2020 with Investani with a partnership system with farmers in the environment, “he added. (NR)