YOGYAKARTA – Powder sugar, one of the mainstay products of the Hargotirto Prosperous Village in Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta, was on display in the Small and Medium Enterprises exhibition held by the Solidarity of Wives of Members of United Indonesia Cabinet (SIKIB) from 2-5 December 2010, in the Gatot Subroto area of Jakarta. The product of the partner of UGM Research and Community Service (LPPM) caught visitor’s attention. It has also been visited by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono after she opened the exhibition event. While visiting, the First Lady was accompanied by Miss Indonesia Nadine Alexandra Dewi Ames.
LPPM Community Service manager, Adi Wibowo, ST, who represents the product exhibitors expressed that the powder sugar is one of the product results of the KKN PPM UGM activity. One of their activities is to develop local economic potentials in the Hargotirto Village that was recently inaugurated by Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono. One of the potentials is coconut fruit which is relatively abundant but has not been utilized optimally. "Through the KKN PPM activities, the community received the training to develop powder sugar from coconut," said Adi when met on the UGM campus on Monday (6/12).
He added that now the powder sugar has become a source of revenue for the local community. It is now marketed both within and outside Yogyakarta.
This products was displayed in the SIKIB EXPO exhibition, said Adi, because it was produced by the people in the prosperous village recently inaugurated by SIKIB as a national pilot village.
SIKIB Expo 2010 that is held at the SMESCO SMEs Convention Center raised the theme ‘Together Towards Prosperous Indonesia and joined by 180 SMEs from all over the country. Various crafts and cultural products were on display in this exhibition.