Jakarta, December 18, 2023 - Edy Purwoko, or affectionately known as Edy Lusi, is a dragon fruit farmer from Tambakrejo Village, Purwoharjo District, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java. Thanks to Edy's achievements in agriculture, he received the Svarna Bhumi Award, an accolade resulting from the collaboration between Pupuk Indonesia and Benih Baik, awarded to an inspirational figure, a national food hero.

The award, a result of the collaboration between Pupuk Indonesia and Benih Baik, was presented by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir. On this occasion, Erick expressed his gratitude to the winners for being true heroes for the country. "It's time for the government to make pro-farmer policies and, together with all stakeholders, create a transparent ecosystem. By 2045, Indonesia is predicted to face issues with the number of farmers, similar to what Japan is experiencing now. Therefore, the digitalization of fertilizer distribution is essential and needs to be done promptly. I believe that with the cooperation of all parties, we can succeed."

Several figures participated as judges in the Svarna Bhumi Award, including the President Director of PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) Rahmad Pribadi, Media & Society Figure Andy F. Noya, Activist Tri Mumpuni & Academic Rhenald Kasali. The award was also given to four other inspirational figures, including Maria Loretha, who successfully revived Sorghum Cultivation that had long been dormant in NTT, and Lasiyo Syaifuddin, a farmer from Bantul who successfully developed banana cultivation to boost the economy in his village. Additionally, there is Sugeng Handoko, who became the driving force behind the potential of Nglanggeran village in Gunung Kidul until it became a famous tourist village, and Surono Danu, the Rice Varieties Innovator from Cirebon, which has proven to increase national agricultural productivity.

Once an Indonesian migrant worker in Taiwan, in 2010 Edy chose to return home, get married, and start a business. Due to his passion for dragon fruit, Edy gradually learned the ins and outs of dragon fruit. In 2013, Edy observed that dragon fruit planted under street lighting could bear fruit outside the harvest season. Since then, Edy dared to try using lights on dragon fruit plants. Initially, Edy started planting dragon fruit with nighttime lighting. The experiment proved successful, and dragon fruit plants bore fruit out of season. Starting in 2015, Edy no longer used diesel-fueled machines to generate electricity. He began using electricity from PLN, resulting in significantly reduced production costs. This innovative idea has increased dragon fruit farmers' productivity by up to 200%, generating monthly revenue of over IDR 50 million.

Edy also created special LED lights for dragon fruit farming, namely PANABA Led. These dragon fruit-specific lights, besides having low wattage, are also suitable for illuminating dragon fruit plantations. Since then, Edy has started sharing knowledge with farmers in his village. As a result, Tambakrejo village has gained a reputation as a dragon fruit village.

On the night of the Svarna Bhumi Award, the President Director of PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) explained, "In line with our goals at Pupuk Indonesia, this award is an appreciation for inspirational figures who support the development of the agricultural industry and national food resilience in Indonesia. Figures like them are the real driving force of the agricultural industry, and we give them our highest appreciation, the heroes of Indonesian food."

Thanks to his innovations, Edy was appointed as the chairman of the Dragon Fruit Association in Banyuwangi (PANABA). In addition to the lighting innovation he created, one of the keys to the success of red dragon fruit farmers in his area is the NPK Phonska Plus fertilizer. The fertilizer produced by PT Petrokimia Gresik is considered the most suitable or has nutrient content that matches the needs of dragon fruit plants.

"On this occasion, I want to express my gratitude to my family, Pupuk Indonesia, and farmers throughout Banyuwangi who are part of the PANABA organization. This lamp technology has now been adopted by farmers across Indonesia because it allows dragon fruit farmers to harvest year-round. Currently, farmers in Banyuwangi can produce 100 tons of dragon fruit per day," concluded Edy."