As an illustration, the community’s need for fertilizer per planting season is 39,000 tons, while the available fertilizer supply is only 10,000 tons. In addition, there is a price disparity between subsidized and non-subsidized chemical fertilizers. Thus, the water hyacinth utilization program in addition to improving the aesthetics of the lake will also provide organic fertilizers at competitive prices to farmers.
Kosmas said the water hyacinth processing plant will be built on the campus of Del Institute of Technology. It will be divided into two stages, namely water hyacinth processing plant into solid and liquid fertilizers. The water hyacinth collection process will be carried out using a harvester ship belonging to the Sumatra II River Basin Agency.
“Furthermore, the water hyacinth will be collected in a temporary shelter and will be taken to a processing site,” he said.
As a national company with the commitment to always make a positive contribution, Mayora is of the view that processing water hyacinth into organic fertilizer can have two positive impacts, namely reducing the water hyacinth population that pollutes Lake Toba and making it a raw material for compost which will be processed through a decomposition process by microorganisms on organic waste.
“We see a problem but at the same time we also see a solution regarding the issue of water hyacinth invasion in the lake. Therefore, in collaboration with Del Institute of Technology, we will build a plant to convert water hyacinth from a weed to valuable organic fertilizer to help increase agricultural productivity around Lake Toba,” explained PT. Mayora Indah Tbk director Johan Muliawan.