Padukuhan Borosuci, Banjarasri Village, Kapanewon Kalibawang, Kulonprogo Regency has one of the local food ingredients that has the potential to be developed, namely the jali plant. Jali is an alternative food source, a type of tropical grain plant from the grain tribe.
According to the Chairman of the Asmorogati Farmers Group, Yustinus Harjito, in 2018, around 40 farmers in Banjarasri Village, specifically in Borosuci Dukuh, began to switch to planting pulut jali with the aim of reintroducing local food ingredients which were starting to be neglected.
“However, from 2018 to 2023, the number of farmers planting jali in the Asmorogati Farmers Group has decreased, from initially around 40 people, now there are only 5 people. This is because processing jali seeds into rice and jali flour requires several tools or machines to produce jali. “The process runs efficiently and optimally,” said Harjito.
It was stated that currently the process of separating the jali meat from the shell or skin is still done manually, by pounding and then winnowing. Meanwhile, the process of grinding the jali meat which has been separated from the shell into flour, currently the Asmorogati Kelomtan is milling it to another partner located in Semarang.
Apart from that, said Harjito, the Asmorogati Kelomtan in carrying out the jali processing process has not paid attention to operating procedures or good housekeeping, such as not having good material handling, still often losing raw materials and products due to being scattered, and there is no reuse of the waste produced. .
Seeing this condition, the AKPRIND Yogyakarta Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Community Service Grant Team (PKM) was here to provide a solution. Efficient, optimal and environmentally friendly jali processing or production solutions were socialized in the Banjarasri Village Hall on August 15 2023. Among others, Banjarasri Village Head Drs Madisantoso, Chairman of Asmorogati Subdistrict Yustinus Harjito and his members were present.
“The solution we provide is by making appropriate technological tools in the form of a jali peeling machine to separate the jali meat from the shell or skin, and a machine for milling the jali meat into flour. Apart from that, we help create a website as a means of digital marketing and implementing clean production, so it is friendly environment,” said the Head of the PKM IST AKPRIND Grant Team Paramita Dwi Sukmawati ST MEng accompanied by members Dewi Wahyuningtyas ST MEng and Yuli Purwanto ST MEng, Monday (21/8/2023).
In its implementation, the AKPRIND IST Lecturer PKM Grant Team, which passed funding in 2023, collaborated with the Asmorogati Kelomtan. Paramita Dwi Sukmawati hopes that through this touch of appropriate technology, jali processing will become more productive, economical, efficient, fast, optimal, as well as environmentally friendly because it prioritizes aspects of cleaner production or clean production.