At Saturday, January 7 2023, the Regional Executive Board of the Indonesian Orchid Association (DPD PAI) DIY in collaboration with the Biotechnology Laboratory of the Faculty of Biology UGM has held a DIY PAI Members Meeting in the Auditorium Room of the KPTU Building, Faculty of Biology UGM. This meeting is the first Meeting Agenda since the COVID19 emergency condition was implemented, where for 2 years meetings have been held online. The event for this first meeting was filled with lectures on “Tips for Success in Orchid Business”, inviting a practitioner from the industry, Ir. Joko Asad (Sales & Marketing Manager PT Ekakarya Graha Flora). Besides being attended by members and administrators of PAI DIY, it was also attended by collaborators from tertiary institutions, such as the Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, the Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology at Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Janabadra, and the Chairman of KAGAMA ORCHIDS, attended by a total of 115 people.
The event began by singing the Indonesia Raya song and the Orchid Flower song, which is the PAI DIY Mars Song, led by Ms. Uminurida (DIY PAI secretary). The next event was a welcome speech from the chairman of PAI DIY, Prof. Dr. Endang Semiarti, M.S., M.Sc. who also report the activities of PAI DIY in 2022. Then followed by remarks from the Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M. Agr. Sc which also officially opened the activity. The main event regarding tips for success in the orchid business was delivered by Ir. Joko Asad (Mr. Jack’s nickname) with moderator Dr. Ixora Sartika Mercuriani, M.Sc. Deputy Chairperson of PAI DIY. In his presentation, Mr. Jack said “there are 4 strategies in dealing with market opportunities, such as market potential, production considerations, market considerations, and networking. These four things help in the decision-making process.” Then Mr. Jack also said that in the orchid business, it is important to pay attention to the 3Q aspects namely Quality, Quantity and Continuity.
In the discussion session the participants were very enthusiastic about asking questions related to the material presented by Mr. Jack, so that the session was very interactive. One of the participants who attended this event asked about the superior technique in orchid cultivation, cloning or hybrid. Mr. Jack answered that the plant cloning technique is considered to have advantages as well as promise in the orchid business. The clones had uniform quality, flowering time and growth pattern between individuals with the same plant source. In the discussion session, Mrs. Dr. Ex. Mursyanti-Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology at Atma Jaya University also asked Mr. Jack about the possibility of collaboration in the form of student internships with PT. Ekakarya and the possibility of collaboration in the form of teaching practitioners in the Independent Learning Program learning scheme. Mr. Jack also said that PT. Ekakarya accepts student internships, within a limited quota. After the discussion session was over, the event continued with the door prize distribution session in the form of orchid plants and Liquid Organic Fertilizer (POC) “DR. S” (Prominent POC product Dr. Sukirno Head of Biology Study Program, Faculty of Biology UGM) for lucky DIY orchiders. Especially for guests from Kagama Orchids, Mr. Yoppie et al. were given a prize in the form of POC “DR S”.
The seminar was also enlivened by stands of attractive orchid products to buy. Innovative merchandise products with orchid nuances such as tumblers, key chains, enamels, hats and tote bags are sold by the BiOSCorp BiOSC student group. Meanwhile, cultivated orchid plants, such as Phalaenopsis, Vanda, and Dendrobium, both hybrids and species, are sold by several orchid nurseries in Yogyakarta.
Overall, this event ran smoothly and was lively. The next DIY PAI meeting will be held in the next 2 months at the orchid nursery or other collaborator universities. It is hoped that members will continue to be able to attend future meetings, because apart from being able to strengthen communication and friendship relations between members of PAI DIY, they can also develop knowledge about orchid cultivation. Greetings Everlasting Orchid Indonesia!