Cantiknya bunga Indonesia pada Pameran IFEX di Makuhari Messe Japan

Indonesia telah mengikuti pameran bunga 5th International Flower Expo Tokyo (IFEX) 30 Oktober - 1 November 2008 di Makuhari Messe, Jepang. Pameran bunga ini diselenggarakan oleh Japan Floral Marketing Association (JFMA) / Reed Exhibition Japan Ltd. Pameran ditebagi menjadi 8 Zone, yaitu:
1. Flowers, Plants and Seeds Zone
2. Preserved Flower Colection Zone
3. Artificial / Processed Flower Zone
4. Bridal Flower Zone
5. Funeral Flower Zone
6. IFEX Flower Living
7. Packing and Accesories Zone
8. Retail Support Zone

Tahun ini Indonesia berpartisipasi dalam Flowers, Plants and Seeds Zone. Departemen Pertanian bekerjasama dengan KBRI Tokyo telah mendatangkan tiga pengusaha Indonesia untuk memamerkan bunga dan tanaman hias yang dikembangkan di Indonesia.

Indonesia menempati anjungan nomor 19-15 diantara 248 anjungan internasional dan 295 anjungan asal Jepang yang terdapat dalam pameran IFEX besar ini.


Bunga dan tanaman hias Indonesiaku cantik mempesona di arena taman internasional
Anjungan Indonesia diisi oleh 3 pengusaha Bunga dan Tanaman Hias :
1. Ekakarya
2. Gani Flora
3. WIJAYA the art of the Gardent


Bunga Indonesia yang sering diperhatikan orang dan diminati pengunjung adalah Phalaenopsis, putih lidah kuning (gambar di bawah). Bunga ini telah masuk Jepang di harganya 15 ribu yen di toko bunga daerah Chiba tidak jauh dari tempat pameran IFEX.

Kami bertekad mensukseskan pameran ini bekerjasama menyambut pengungunjung dengan tebaran senyuman ala Indonesia dan hormat bungkukan ala Jepang. Arigatau gozaimasu Okamoto San dan keluarga yang telah mensukseskan pameran ini.
Kami melakukan pertemuan dengan Mr. Masakatsu Nozawa Presiden Sagami Jitsugyoco., Ltd. dan Tadashi Matsumoto Presiden The Agri Matsumoto Co. Ltd. untuk mengembangkan bunga Sandersonia di Indonesia. Sementara ini bunga Sandersonia yang telah masuk ke Jepang berasal dari CV. Arajuna Flora, Batu Malang, yang ikut dipamerkan pada anjungan 13-11. Tampak bunga tersebut dipajang pada dinding latar belakang gambar di samping.

Southeast Asian Nations Endorse Rice Action Plan

The world’s biggest rice-exporting and -importing nations have collectively endorsed a new Rice Action Plan targeting many of the problems that triggered this year’s rice price crisis.

At a meeting of the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on October 24, 2008, ministers of agriculture unanimously endorsed a seven-point action plan presented by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). ASEAN includes two of the world’s largest rice exporters, Thailand and Vietnam, and several importing nations as well.

The endorsement came at the 30th annual meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF). It was presented as part of a comprehensive food security strategy being developed for the region, home to more than 500 million rice consumers, including some of Asia’s poorest.

“The message is very clear,” IRRI’s director general, Robert S. Zeigler, said. “We have the scientific expertise, knowledge, and partnerships to grow the rice Asia needs and now—with this endorsement by these nations—we have strong political support. The only thing missing are the financial resources needed to implement this.”

Dr. Zeigler told the ministers that IRRI needs an additional US$15 million a year for the next ten years to adequately support the ASEAN Rice Action Plan. “At a time of trillion-dollar bailouts for the global financial sector, $15 million a year is barely the annual bonus of a former Wall Street executive,” Dr. Zeigler said.

The Rice Action Plan was developed by IRRI earlier this year during the rice price crisis in consultation with its partners around the region. It includes the following measures:

1. Bring about an agronomic revolution to reduce existing yield gaps.
Depending on production conditions, an unexploited yield gap of 1–2 t/ha currently exists in most farmers’ fields in the rice-growing areas of Asia. This yield gap can be reduced through the integrated use of stress-resistant varieties and better crop management practices. This requires funding support to programs aimed at improving farmers’ skills in practices such as land preparation, water and nutrient management, and the control of various pests, diseases, and weeds.

2. Accelerate the delivery of new postharvest technologies to reduce losses.
Postharvest includes the storing, drying, and processing of rice. Considerable losses occur in terms of both the quantity and quality of rice during postharvest operations because of the use of old and inefficient practices. The active promotion of exciting new technologies that are currently available for on-farm storage and drying will reduce losses considerably.

3. Accelerate the introduction and adoption of higher-yielding rice varieties.
New rice varieties are available today that can increase production, but farmers are not using them because the systems that introduce new varieties are under-resourced. Enhancing germplasm exchange, variety testing, and release pipelines can make current high-yielding stress-resistant varieties and hybrids more widely available to farmers in irrigated and rainfed lowland areas of Asia.

4. Strengthen and upgrade breeding pipelines for developing new varieties and hybrids.
Funding for the development of new rice varieties has declined steadily over the past decade or more. This must be reversed in order to develop the next generations of new rice varieties that will be required for productivity growth in sustainable agriculture. Several opportunities are available to accelerate the development of new rice varieties and hybrids with higher yield, better grain quality, and increased tolerance of abiotic stresses and with multiple resistances to insects and diseases through new molecular breeding approaches.

5. Accelerate research on the world’s thousands of rice varieties so scientists can use the vast reservoir of untapped genetic resources they contain.
Working with IRRI, the world’s nations have spent decades carefully collecting thousands of rice varieties. More than 100,000 rice types are now being carefully managed and used at IRRI and in Asian nations. However, only a small fraction of these vital genetic resources has been characterized in detail or used widely. New molecular methods have now opened the door for revealing the valuable genetic characteristics in each variety.

6. Develop a new generation of rice scientists and researchers for the public and private sectors.
Part of the current rice crisis reflects the lack of investment in science, including human capital investment. The education and training of young scientists and researchers are also vital concerns for the rice industry. Asia urgently needs to train a new generation of rice scientists and researchers to enable the region to exploit the latest developments in modern science more effectively.

7. Provide rice policy support.
Conducive policy environments are needed to achieve the fuller use of technology for rapid production growth in an efficient, equitable, and sustainable manner. Rice production is being affected by several dynamic economic factors and their potential impact can be manipulated through suitable policy reforms. The identification of policy constraints, the generation of alternative policy options, and policy advocacy are therefore essential.

Belajar ubi jalar siap saji

Rasa ubi jalar tetap menjadi kesukaan makanan lidah orang Jepang, meskipun berbagai makanan internasional terdapat di restoran-restoran di Jepang. Di tengah super sibuknya orang Jepang ubi jalar dihadirkan di meja makan mereka dengan bentuk siap saji.

Perusahaan menyiapkan ubi rebus dikemas dalam plastik vakum sehingga tahan lama meskipun tanpa bahan pengawet, dengan penampilan yang menggoda rasa. Dalam bahasa Jepangnya Oishisou yang artinya kelihatannya enak sekali. Karena dalam kemasan vakum, ubi jalar siap saji ini awet bisa tahan sampai dua bulan.

Cara menyiapkannya sangat mudah, masukkan ubi yang masih dikemas dalam plastik ke dalam microwave 500 W selama 3 menit. Begitu terdengar bunyi kling...pada microwave, ubi hangat siap disantap dengan rasa asli ubi.

Ubi jalar siap saji ini dengan berat sekitar 350 gram, harganya dua kali lipat dari ubi jalar bakar yang dijual di supermarket atau biasa dijajakan keliling perumahan. Ubi jalar bakar dijual 100 yen per 350 gram, sedang ubi jalar siap saji dengan berat sama dihargai 200 yen.

Pelajaran yang bisa dipetik dari ubi jalar siap saji ini, selain kita berusaha memproduksi bahan baku sebaik mungkin, kita perlu terus-menerus melakukan inovasi pengolahan dan pengemasan agar dapat memanjakan atau membuat senang konsumen.

Bunga-bunga cantik Indonesia akan dipamerkan pada The 5th International Flower Expo (IFEX) Japan.

Direktorat Jenderal Pengolahan dan Pemasaran Hasil Pertanian (P2HP) Deptan mengkordinasi pengusaha bunga Indonesia mengikuti pameran bunga di Jepang pada pameran besar The 5th International Flower Expo (IFEX) Japan yang diselenggarakan di Makuhari Messe, Jepang mulai 30 Oktober samapai dengan 1 November 2008.

Perusahaan yang diikutsertakan oleh PPHP ini ada tiga yaitu PT. Ekakarya Grahaflora yang akan memameran produknya antara lain Phalaenopsis orchid, Anthorium, UD. Hagani Flora memamerkan Plumeria, Jatropha, Drocaena, dan CV. Wijaya the Art of Garden memamerkan Aglonema, Anthurium, Asplenium. Sedangkan CV. Arjuna Flora akan bekerjasama dengan mitra bisnisnya dari Jepang Agrimatsumoto memamerkan Sandersonia aurantiaca, Zephyrantes, Limonium sinuatum dan Limonium kaspea.

Partisipasi Indonesia pada pameran ini atas kerjasama Ditjen P2HP Deptan dengan KBRI Tokyo program kerja Atase Pertanian dan Atase Perdagangan. Rombongan akan dipimpin oleh Direktur Pemasaran Internasional Dr. Suryadi Abdul Munir yang akan di dampingi oleh Staf Direktorat Pemasaran Internasional Martinawati Irene Ratu Nauli.

Diperkirakan 860 exhibitor akan berpartisipasi dalam pameran ini, dan 32.000 buyer akan mengunjungi pameran ini. Merupakan kesempatan yang baik mengikuti pameran ini, diharapkan dengan ikut sertanya pameran ini ekspor bunga Indonesia ke Jepang maupun Negara di kawasan Asia akan semakin meningkat.

Pada AMAF+3 Meeting Vietnam berusaha persempit kesenjangan daerah pertanian

Wakil Menteri Pertanian dari Vietnam Nguyen Sinh Hung mengemukakan kepada negara-negara anggota ASEAN dan mitra-mitranya, Jepang, Cina dan Korea Selatan (RoK), untuk mendorong dan kerjasama untuk mempersempit kesenjangan dalam pembangunan pertanian.

Himbauan Hung ini dikemukakan pada saat pertemuan Menteri Pertanian dan Kehutanan yang ke delapan negara-negara ASEAN dan Menteri Pertanian dari Cina, Jepang dan RoK (AMAF +3), yang berlangsung di Hanoi Vietnam pada 24 Oktober.

Pertanian, pedesaan dan petani adalah faktor yang menentukan terjadinya pembangunan stabilitas politik dan pembangunan sosio-ekonomi negara-negara anggota ASEAN, kata Hung.

Beliau seterusnya berkata bahwa, krisis makanan dan keuangan, timbulnya bencana alam dan epidemi telah berdampak besar secara global, maka peranan pertanian telah menjadi semakin lebih penting sehingga negara-negara ASEAN +3 perlu untuk mengadopsi langkah-langkah kebijakan dan membuat investasi yang tepat untuk tercapainya target kesejahteraan sektor pertanian di Asia.

Mereka yang hadir dalam pertemuan AMAF +3 menyampaikan dukungan mereka untuk mempererat kerjasama antara negara-negara anggota dalam mengusahakan ketahanan pangan, pertanian dan kehutanan, dan mendorong lebih lanjut dalam koordinasi penanggulangan kemiskinan dan mempromosikan kegiatan pembangunan manusia.

Para Menteri peserta pertemuan sepakat untuk mempercepat pelaksanaan program Cadangan Beras Darurat Asia Timur (EAERR) dan memperpanjang proyek berjalan sampai 28 Februari 2010.

Pada 23 Oktober, para delegasi pada pertemuan yang ke 30 Menteri Pertanian dan Kehutanan (AMAF) se Asia Tenggara telah menyetujui kerangka program ASEAN terpadu ketahanan pangan dan merencanakan tindakan menangani isu-isu ketahanan pangan, yang dijadwalkan akan disampaikan dalam ASEAN Summit ke 14 pada bulan Desember tahun 2008 ini.

Pertemuan AMAF ke 31 dan AMAF +3 ke 9 akan diadakan di Brunei pada tahun depan.

Arowana Indonesia termahal di Tokyo Tower Aquarium

Ikan Arowana berasal dari Indonesia harganya 2.500.000 yen (dua juta lima ratus ribu yen). Ikan jenis Super Red Arowana (Scleropages fornosus) yang panjangnya mencapai 90 cm ini dipelihara dan dipamerkan di Tokyo Tower Aquarium. Coba banyangkan jenis kendaraan apa yang bisa dapat ditukar dengan ikan asal Indonesia ini. Harga ikan Arowana yang sangat cantik tersebut kalau dikurskan ke yen pada saat ini sekitar 225 juta rupiah, kurang lebih sama harganya dengan Toyota Inova.

Klasifikasi Ilmiahnya:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Osteoglossidae
Subfamily : Heterotidinae
Arapaima
Heterotis
Subfamily : Osteoglossinae
Osteoglossum
Scleropages

Sedangkan ikan lain yang dipamerkan disana yaitu ikan Specckle-bellied Lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) asal Victoria, Afrika Selatan panjangnya 1500 cm dibandrol 1.000.000 (sejuta) yen.

Black Piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus) atau disebut juga S. niger panjangnya 50 cm tertulis harganya 480.000 yen.

Jaguar cichlid (Parachromis managuensis) asal Nicaragua panjangnya 35 cm senilai 80.000 yen.

“Synspilum” (Cichlasoma synspilum) asal Guatemala panjangnya 30 cm tertera diaquariumnya 50.000 yen.

Ikan asal Indonesia yang termahal Arowana ini perlu kita jaga keaslian dan kelestariaannya. Perlu beberapa gen tertentu ikan ini yang asli dicatat dan didaftarkan di Gene Bank sebagai tanda resmi bahwa ikan ini berasal dari Indonesia. Jangan hanya diakui asal dari Indonesia tetapi para pembudidaya yang berhasil dari negara lain. Semoga dengan usaha dan kerja keras kita dalam pengembangan tekhnologi budidaya ikan Arowana dapat mengambil banyak manfaat dikemudian hari.

Case Definitions of Avian Influenza

1. Suspect Case

A suspect case is a person suffering from an upper respiratory tract infection with symptoms of fever (temp > 38°C), cough, and/or sore throat and/or runny nose, coupled with one of the following circumstances:
• Having visited a poultry farm where avian influenza occurred in the last one week;
• Having been in contact with confirmed avian influenza case during transmission period
• Working in a laboratory that is handling avian influenza-suspect human or animal specimen

2. Probable Case

A probable case is similar to a suspect case with one of the following conditions:
• Limited laboratory evidence suggesting the presence of Influenza A virus (H5N1), for example: Hemagglutination Inhibitation (HI) test using H5N1 antigen.
• Within a short period the disease turns into pneumonial infection/respiratory failure/death.
• There is no evidence suggesting other causes of death

3. Confirmed Case

A confirmed case is a suspect case or probable case coupled with the presence of one of the following laboratory test results:
• Positive culture for H5N1 influenza virus
• Positive PCR assay for influenza (H5)
• Four-fold increase of H5 antibody titer

Source : Komnas FBPI

Frequently Asked Questions about Avian Flu

1. What is Avian Flu?

Avian influenza (bird flu) is an infectious disease caused by the type A strains of the influenza virus. These are mainly found in birds and poultry.

2. Has bird flu reached Indonesia?

Avian influenza was first detected in August 2003 in Indonesia. As of early December 2006, the virus has been detected in birds in 30 provinces in Indonesia.

3. I have domestic birds. How would I know if my domestic birds have bird flu?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) website (http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/diseases-cards/special_avian.html) provides information about how to assess whether a bird may be infected with bird flu. You can also visit the Department of Agriculture for general information on Avian Influenza (http://www.deptan.go.id/) or the Directorate General of Animal Health of the Department of Agriculture at (http://keswan.ditjennak.go.id/).

4. Can humans catch bird flu, and are the effects fatal for humans?

Yes, bird flu can infect humans and the disease can be fatal. Keep in mind that at this stage the disease remains a rare event.

5. How long is the incubation period?

The incubation period for bird flu is 2-10 days after exposure to the virus. However, most cases become symptomatic after 3-5 days of exposure to the virus.

6. What are the symptoms of bird flu?

Early signs of bird flu are often similar to seasonal human influenza (cough, sore throat, high fever, headache, muscle ache, etc). The disease can progress into pneumonia where there might be shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and respiratory failure.

7. What should I do if I think I have bird flu?

If you think you have been exposed to bird flu and have influenza-like symptoms, seek medical advice.

8. How is the virus transmitted to humans?

The virus is found in bird and poultry faeces and respiratory secretions. Most cases have contracted the virus directly from infected birds, although environmental contamination with the virus can also be a source of infection.

9. Is there a cure for the bird flu?

Besides intensive medical attention, Oseltamivir (registered as Tamiflu) is the main anti-viral treatment for bird flu. It is most effective when administered early in the disease. Tamiflu in Indonesia is available at all Avian Influenza Referral Hospital. (see AI Hospital Referral list)

10. Are there any vaccines for the virus?

There are currently no human vaccines available for bird flu. Researchers are carefully monitoring the situation to ensure that if the virus changes into a strain that is more infective for humans, they can then start to develop a vaccine specifically for that strain.

11. What can we do to prevent bird flu in our homes?

• Maintain a healthy environment and sanitary surrounding (especially if there are bird/poultry pens and cages).
• Maintain self sanitation (frequently wash hands with soap and antiseptic solution)
• Always place bird/poultry pens and cages as far away from the house as
possible.
• Use protection (masks and gloves) when handling organic poultry fertilizers.
• Don’t throw bird/poultry innards and feathers recklessly, always place them in a plastic bag and dispose properly.
• Always clean excess bird/poultry and animal feed, to prevent attracting wild
birds.

12. How do we protect ourselves from bird flu infection?

• Wash your hands with soap or other antiseptic solutions after handling
poultry/birds.
• Disinfect surfaces with simple detergents, alcohol solutions (70%) or chlorine
(0.5%).
• Wear masks, gloves and boots if entering areas with recent bird flu infection.
• Closely observe your health if you have close contact with birds/poultry. Seek medical advice if you develop fever, eye infections, and/or respiratory problems.

Also:
1. Do not touch sick or dying birds; if you do, immediately wash your hands and report to local authorities.
2. Wash your hands and utensils with soap and water before you eat or cook.
Cook all poultry and eggs well.
3. Separate your birds and separate all new flocks for two weeks.
4. Go immediately to a health clinic if you have a fever with flu-like symptoms and have had contact with birds.

13. What occupations are high risk for bird flu infection?

1. poultry farmers and farm workers
2. poultry slaughterers and slaughterhouse workers
3. sellers of poultry products (meat, eggs, etc.)
4. bird / poultry owners
5. lab staff and workers processing samples
6. people who live in areas where recent poultry deaths have been attributed to bird flu infection
7. people who had direct, close and unprotected contact with confirmed bird flu
cases.

14. Is it safe to each chicken meat and other poultry products?

Yes, it is safe to eat chicken and other poultry products that have been fully-cooked (fried, boiled or grilled). Do not eat poultry meat that is still pink or half-cooked/half-boiled eggs.


Source: World Health Organization