Adaro develops fish variants farming in Nurul Muhibbin, HST

Tanjung, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - PT Adaro Indonesia, under the Adaro Santri Sejahtera Program (PASS), is currently developing pesantren-based entrepreneurship in six Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), one of them is the Pesantren Nurul Muhibbin Barabai, Central Hulu Sungai (HST).

This is an Islamic boarding school that prioritizes religious education with the leading skill in reading bald books (books without lines).

Nurul Muhibbin Islamic Boarding School is increasingly known and bigger along with the fame of its leader KH Muhammad Bakhit bin Ahmad Mugni (popularly known as Guru Bakhit). He has thousands of congregants while holding recitation.

PASS here began in 2018 with the identification of business according to the needs and potentials of the pesantren. Then the tarpaulin pond fish cultivation was chosen.

Furthermore, 14 tarpaulin pool with a diameter of four meters were built. In 2020, the business activities started by sowing 5,000 pangasius seeds, 100 gouramis, 7,000 papuyu (climbing perch) fish seeds, 2,000 tilapia, and 2,000 catfish.

The cultivation business uses a system of many fish variants so that it gets much profit.

“Catfish, tilapia, and pangasius have different period of harvest, it makes business operation runs well. While its big business is papuyu fish harvesting,” said teacher Arif, head of BPUP.

To save the cost of production, they breed maggot. Independently, the working group worked together to build cage for BSF flies and their own maggot shelter.

Previously, a comparative study was carried out by the working group accompanied by local expert and YABN to one of fish farmers using alternative maggot feed.

There are two types of maggot being developed, dry and wet maggot.

With alternative maggot feed, the production cost can be reduced by 70 percent compared to using pellets. However, to maintain the stability of fish growth, pellets are still used as much as 30 percent of the total feed.

“With the concept of fish farming using the alternative feed, it is hoped that pesantren has a business with a lot of profit, thus it can support the very large operational cost of the pesantren," said the PIC program of PASS YABN Sam Guntur.

He said the business developed at the pesantren is also to grow an entrepreneurial spirit in accordance with the main objective of PASS.