Albert Gilon has trained hundreds of seaweed cultivators in East Nusa Tenggara and other provinces.
By
KORNELIS KEWA AMA
·5 minutes read
Cultivating seaweed is not easy. Cultivators must have special skills and knowledge. Albert Gilon, 60, has the two and does not hesitate to share them with others. So far, he has trained hundreds of seaweed cultivators in East Nusa Tenggara and other provinces.
KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA
Albert Gilon
Unfortunately, the training for seaweed cultivation (Eucheuma cottonii) has been forced to stop during the Covid-19 pandemic to avoid crowds. However, the man who is popularly called Gilon is still diligent in contacting leaders of the seaweed cultivating groups that are scattered in a number of areas.
"I don\'t like to see that what I have trained fail miserably because of this pandemic. Even if there are seaweed pests, such as ice-ice, they have to keep trying. It is impossible for all cultivated seaweed to fail miserably. There should definitely be something that can be harvested,” said Gilon when met in Tablolong village, West Kupang district, Kupang regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Wednesday (9/9/2020).
Gilon started to become a seaweed cultivator in 2005 after participating in training held by the Kupang Regency Maritime and Fisheries Office. The regent of Kupang for the 1999-2009 period, Ibrahim Agustinus Medah, indeed paid special attention to the potential of seaweed.
I don\'t like to see that what I have trained fail miserably because of this pandemic.
In 2009, Gilon was sent to attend training at the Fisheries Training and Extension Center in Banyuwangi, East Java, for two weeks. "Returning from Banyuwangi, I shared the knowledge with fishermen in the coastal villages of Kupang regency, such as Tablolong, Babau, Semau, Pitay, Nembrala, and all areas of East Rote, Rote Ndao regency," he said.
In 2013, when Sabu Raijua became a regency, Gilon was asked to provide training to seaweed cultivators in Raedewa, Ledeana and Raenalulu villages.
Albert Gilon shows his seaweed which is dried in Tablolong. Kupang.
Distributed free of charge
Superior seaweed seeds from outside East Nusa Tenggara were brought to Kupang, then distributed free of charge to the community. This was done under the guidance of the head of the marine and fisheries office at that time.
Meanwhile, the superior seaweed seeds originating from East Nusa Tenggara were taken from Babau, Kupang regency, and several places in Lembata. These seeds can be harvested at the age of 25-35 days. For higher quality, seaweed is harvested at the age of 45 days.
Since becoming a trainer for seaweed cultivation in 2013, Gilon has shared the knowledge with 530 seaweed cultivators who are members of around 50 farmer groups in East Nusa Tenggara. Gilon visited almost all areas of East Nusa Tenggara, such as Lembata, Alor, East Flores, Ende, and Sikka. As an archipelago province, East Nusa Tenggara has promising potential in the seaweed sector.
Not only in East Nusa Tenggara, Gilon is also a trainer for seaweed cultivators in the Anambas Islands, North Sulawesi; Maluku; and Sorong, West Papua. Their number reaches about 300 cultivators.
After giving the training for about a week, he continues to monitor the participants via cell phones belonging to the heads of farmer groups in each province. He looks for solution for every difficulty faced by the cultivators so that their cultivation runs smoothly.
"I train how to arrange the seaweed, mark the superior seeds, the distance of each stalk of the seed that is tied on the rope, choose good seaweed seeds, how to stretch the rope, the length of the rope, and put floats as rope markers so that fishing boats don\'t pass," Gilon said.
The training also deals with the care and tending of seaweed, such as how to clean seaweed from wild plants and mud, check the ropes, and prevent disease and oil waste. If there is damage, it must be repaired immediately.
Lens Lewue (54), one of the seaweed cultivators coached by Albert Gilon in Tablolong village, Kupang.
Things to watch out for are sea cucumbers, sea urchin larvae, and herbivorous fish. However, those pests are easy to handle. What is difficult is dealing with the ice-ice disease that attacks and destroys seaweed plants in East Nusa Tenggara in the last five years.
"Not even a single cultivator has found a way to deal with this disease. However, we still cultivate seaweed together with friends. Not all of the cultivated seaweed has failed," he said.
He always takes the time to monitor the seaweed cultivated from the training he has given. He usually visits when the seaweed is 20-25 days old. At that age, Gilon is convinced that the seaweed can grow well until harvest time.
"When I contacted them again, they said that the seaweed had been harvested and was successful. At that time I was satisfied. The results of my training were not in vain because it helped them as well as the local governments. My job as a seaweed farmer is supported by the government,” said Gilon.
Seaweed is used as an ingredient in various food products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and medicines. Seaweed from East Nusa Tenggara has been exported to a number of countries. Currently, the price of dried seaweed is Rp 17,000 per kilogram. This is high compared to the last three years when the price was only Rp 7,000 - Rp 10,000 per kg.
Through seaweed cultivation, coastal communities can live prosperously by building permanent houses, sending their children to school and conducting other matters. "The seaweed makes our prosperity better," said Gilon.
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