Bandung, 13 July 2023 - PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA (Ajinomoto) as one of the seasoning manufacturers in Indonesia, that strives to be at the forefront for helping to preserve a sustainable environment for the future, by following the direction of the Indonesian government in practicing a circular economy. One of its featured product is AJIFOL, a foliar fertilizer which is a by-product of the Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) production process.
Noticing at the Lembang area (Bandung Regency), as an agro-industrial area with the potential to develop. The Corporate Communications Dept. & Agriculture Development Dept. Ajinomoto team collaborate with the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Padjadjaran (UNPAD) took the initiative to provide education regarding the advantages of AJIFOL products, good fertilization practices, and inspiration for food menus using the Wise Salt concept, to farmers who are members of the Association of Farmers Groups (Gapoktan) Lembang at Packing House Lembang, Cikidang, Kab. West Bandung, Thursday (13/7/2023).
"We at Ajinomoto have a target by 2030 together with our affiliates in other countries, to extend the healthy life expectancy of 1 billion people worldwide and reduce the environmental impact of our business activities by up to 50%. As actors in the food industry, apart from producing seasonings, we also produce by-products, one of which is AJIFOL fertilizer, this fertilizer has many benefits for all your plants," said Grant Senjaya, Head of Corporate Communications Dept. PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA.
"To achieve this target, we at Ajinomoto Indonesia have activities that we call Health Providers. This activity is an initiative of the Ajinomoto Indonesia Group to transform all of its employees into health provider ambassadors who can contribute to increasing knowledge not only for themselves, but also for families and Indonesian society regarding nutrition and family health as well as environmental sustainability," he continued.
According to Subur Susantoso, Business Development Agri Dev Dept. of PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA, unlike fertilizers that are applied from the soil, AJIFOL foliar fertilizer has a source of micronutrients (which are not found in soil fertilizers) such as Mn, Zn, B, and Fe.
"AJIFOL contains complete macro and micronutrients to support plant growth and development from planting to harvest, and with high-quality amino acids in it, AJIFOL is also able to increase plant resistance to disease attacks, thereby reducing the use of pesticides and more friendly to the environment,” said Subur.
“Currently, AJIFOL has two variants, namely AJIFOL D for plant vegetative growth (roots, stems, leaves) and AJIFOL B for plant generative growth (flowers and fruits). The application quite easy, by first adding water according to the dosage, AJIFOL can be sprayed directly on the plant parts. Not only does it have quality ingredients, the price of AJIFOL liquid fertilizer is also very affordable - AJIFOL D, around ± Rp. 75,000.00/liter and AJIFOL B around ± Rp. 85,000.00/liter," he continued.
In this community service activity carried out by a team of lecturers from the Faculty of Agriculture UNPAD this time, Dr. Yudithia Maxiselly, SP., MP, who in this activity gave a presentation on the use of sugar cane industry waste as a raw material for fertilizer which is in line with what has been done by the Ajinomoto factory in Mojokerto.
Leaders from the Faculty of Agriculture UNPAD represented by Deputy Dean 1, Dr. Achmad Choibar Tridakusumah, SP, MP, in his speech also said that the use of by-products of the food industry to be used as other products that can be used for other agricultural activities will help achieve sustainable agribusiness.
To increase the healthy life expectancy of the farmers who attended as participants at today's event, Sakinah - Nutrition & Education Section, Corporate Communications Dept. - PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA, provided an understanding of the concept of balanced nutrition, Salt Wise, and the safety and benefits of MSG. This explanation of the concept of balanced nutrition was accompanied by an interesting cooking demonstration that inspired the simple menus "Bakso Sayur Umami" and "Otak-Otak Tahu ala Masako®" presented by Chef Eki Nugraha Kramadibrata.
"In attempt to meet the nutritional needs, the Republic of Indonesia's Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) replaced used concept 4 Sehat 5 Sempurna as Guide to Balanced Nutrition. Ajinomoto is also currently active in the Smart Salt campaign which is in line with these guidelines regarding reducing intake of Sugar, Salt, Fat (GGL) in daily consumption. Through the Bijak Garam campaign, we want to educate the public about the importance of a low-salt diet and invite Indonesian families to live healthier lives by reducing their intake or use of salt in preparing food, while still being able to get a high taste. The application is quite easy, only by reducing the use of salt, which was originally 2 teaspoons (teaspoon), to 1 teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon MSG (for 1 liter of water/soup in the cooking menu)," said Sakinah