Budidaya Jeruk Manis

The citrus plant is an annual fruit plant originating from Asia. China is believed to be the first place to grow oranges. Since hundreds of years ago, oranges have grown in Indonesia either naturally or cultivated. The citrus plants in Indonesia are a legacy of the Dutch who brought sweet oranges and tangerines from America and Italy. Citrus growing centers in Indonesia are spread in Garut (West Java), Tawangmangu (Central Java), Batu (East Java), Tejakula (Bali), Selayar (South Sulawesi), Pontianak (West Kalimantan) and Medan (North Sumatra).

Citrus fruit is very useful as fresh fruit food or processed food because it has a high content of vitamin C, in several countries oil has been produced from orange peels and seeds, molasses, alcohol and pectin from wasted citrus fruits.

The prospect of citrus agribusiness in Indonesia is quite good because of the potential for large production areas and increasing market demand. But the production of citrus plants in Indonesia has not been able to meet market demand because the productivity of citrus plants in Indonesia is still low. This is due to the CVPD (Citrus Vein Phloem Degeneration) virus attack, some planting centers experienced a decrease in production. Cultivation techniques carried out by citrus farmers are still traditional because they are hampered by the problem of limited capital.

To overcome the above problems, it is necessary to carry out cooperation between the government, the private sector and citrus farmers, such as holding a program to improve the quality of citrus farmers' resources so that they can apply citrus cultivation techniques properly and there is a credit financing program with low interest so that farmers can increase the quantity and the quality of orange production while maintaining sustainability and environmental friendliness, so that the target of meeting market demand will be fulfilled later.