Optimalisasi Produktivitas Kakao Rakyat melalui Penanganan Bahan Tanam PCC dan Penerapan GAP di Desa Wonorejo

Abstract

Wonorejo Village, Kencong District, Jember Regency, has great potential for developing smallholder cocoa. In 2020, the village received 3.5 hectares of cocoa seedlings from the Jember Regency Government. Plants have now begun to produce, but farmers face several obstacles, including difficulties in handling Primary Clonal Cocoa (PCC) planting materials and increasing Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) attacks. Furthermore, most farmers do not fully understand the application of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), resulting in plantation productivity not reaching its optimal potential. This Community Service Program (PkM) aims to increase farmers' capacity in implementing GAP and PCC management techniques to increase productivity and plant resistance to CPB attacks. Activities were carried out through several stages, including socialization of the prospects for developing smallholder cocoa, training and practice on pruning, fertilization, rorak making, and direct field assistance. The results of the activities show an increase in farmers' knowledge and skills in good cocoa cultivation, marked by improvements in PCC planting material handling techniques and more consistent application of GAP. The survival rate of cocoa seedlings after mentoring exceeded 80%, accompanied by a decrease in the intensity of CPB attacks, as observed in the field. Farmers responded very positively to this program, as the mentoring helped improve cultivation practices and increase yields. Overall, this program contributed to promoting Wonorejo Village as a central village and a pilot project for smallholder cocoa farming in Jember Regency.

Desa Wonorejo, Kecamatan Kencong, Kabupaten Jember memiliki potensi besar dalam pengembangan kakao rakyat. Pada tahun 2020, desa ini menerima bantuan bibit kakao seluas 3,5 ha dari Pemerintah Kabupaten Jember. Saat ini tanaman telah mulai berproduksi, namun petani menghadapi sejumlah kendala seperti kesulitan dalam penanganan bahan tanam Primary Clonal Cocoa (PCC) serta meningkatnya serangan Penggerek Buah Kakao (PBK). Selain itu, sebagian besar petani belum memahami secara utuh penerapan Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), sehingga produktivitas kebun belum mencapai potensi optimal. Program Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (PkM) ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kapasitas petani dalam penerapan GAP dan teknik pengelolaan PCC guna meningkatkan produktivitas serta ketahanan tanaman terhadap serangan hama PBK. Kegiatan dilakukan melalui beberapa tahapan, meliputi sosialisasi prospek pengembangan kakao rakyat, pelatihan dan praktik pemangkasan, pemupukan, pembuatan rorak, serta pendampingan langsung di lapangan.Hasil kegiatan menunjukkan peningkatan pengetahuan dan keterampilan petani dalam budidaya kakao yang baik, ditandai dengan perbaikan teknik penanganan bahan tanam PCC dan penerapan GAP secara lebih konsisten. Persentase hidup bibit kakao setelah pendampingan mencapai lebih dari 80%, disertai penurunan intensitas serangan PBK berdasarkan pengamatan lapangan. Respon petani terhadap kegiatan ini sangat positif karena pendampingan membantu memperbaiki praktik budidaya dan meningkatkan hasil panen. Secara keseluruhan, program ini berkontribusi dalam mendorong Desa Wonorejo menjadi Desa Sentral dan percontohan kakao rakyat di Kabupaten Jember.