BANGKA BARAT – PT Timah continues to demonstrate its commitment to empowering the local economy as part of its support for food security initiatives.
On Thursday (January 16, 2025), PT Timah handed over financial assistance to the Berkah Makmur Farmers Group in Dusun Perumnas, Sekar Biru Village, Parit Tiga District, West Bangka Regency.
The assistance was directly presented by PT Timah’s Manager of Social and Environmental Responsibility, Fachriza, accompanied by the Section Head of Community Development for the North Bangka Area, Dikron, to Fazila, Chairperson of the Berkah Makmur Farmers Group.
Fazila expressed her gratitude for the support provided by PT Timah to the farming group she manages with her colleagues. She highlighted how this assistance significantly helps in developing their goat farming business, thereby improving family incomes.
"We deeply appreciate PT Timah for assisting the Berkah Makmur Farmers Group. We hope this financial support helps us succeed in developing our group, particularly in goat farming. Once again, thank you, PT Timah, for helping us," she said.
The assistance will be utilized to purchase goat seedlings and expand the goat pens.
Fazila explained that goats offer numerous benefits, including the use of their urine and manure as fertilizer, which further motivated her to focus on goat farming.
"We’re grateful that goat farming also supports our friends in agriculture. Some of them experienced crop failures due to the high price of chemical fertilizers in the market. I decided to try using goat manure and urine on my farm first, and it worked beautifully," she shared enthusiastically.
She also mentioned that for several years now, she has stopped purchasing chemical fertilizers and instead relies on fertilizers derived from their goat farming operations.
"For years, we haven’t bought chemical fertilizers anymore. We use goat urine from our farm. This is the advantage of goat farming—right from the start, it generates income. Moreover, every year, there’s a high demand for goats during Eid al-Adha," she concluded. (*)
