Bantul, 10 Desember 2022. Employees of PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) that are members of the XL Axiata Ta'lim Council (MTXL) launched the "Gourami SmartFarm" aquaculture program. In collaboration with the National Amil Zakat Institution—Indonesian Zakat Initiative (LAZNAS IZI) of Yogyakarta, this program targets gourami cultivation community groups in Bantul Regency, the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The inauguration was held directly in Kergan Hamlet, Tirtomulyo Village, Kretek District, Bantul Regency, Saturday (28/11).
Group Head of People Development at XL Axiata, Nashrudin Ismail, said, "This gourami aquaculture is one of the winners of the Hackathon program held by MTXL. This aquaculture also has the added value of building tourism potential in Bantul. Therefore, this gourami aquaculture still has a huge potential to be developed. We see that gourami aquaculture is relatively easy to implement in various layers of the community. It is very suitable to apply in rural areas."
This zakat empowerment program involves ten beneficiaries directly mentored by an experienced fisheries extension agent. The majority of the beneficiaries are underprivileged families with uncertain daily incomes. The beneficiaries are manual and odd-job workers, so they still have shortcomings in fulfilling their daily needs.
The beneficiaries were given 3,000 gourami seeds spread out into 20 ponds. In addition, they are also provided with training for one year by experts experienced in aquaculture, along with facilities to support the cultivation process.
The gourami seeds are then cultivated in small sizes and raised over the next few months until they are ready for consumption. The results are then sold to be reused in the following seed procurement process.
"The donor employees hope that with this program, the lives of the beneficiaries will be even better and, of course, more economically established. MTXL also hopes that with this assistance, gourami production in Kergan Hamlet can increase and that, in the future, it can be applied to more hamlets," Nashrudin explained further.
Meanwhile, the representative of the beneficiaries, the Head of Kretek District, Bantul Regency Government, Cahya Widada, expressed his gratitude for the inauguration of this assistance program in his hamlet. One of the livelihoods of the majority of people in this hamlet is cultivating gourami fish. This hamlet has been designated as a gourami tourism village.
"The residents are increasingly enthusiastic about developing gourami aquaculture with the presence of this assistance. We hope that in the future, our village can develop further, especially in the process of developing this gourami aquaculture business," Cahya explained further.