The Chemical Engineering Study Program FTI Collaborates with Tanjung Alai Village for a Dragon Fruit Chips Project

Chemical Engineering Study Program-FTI, Collaborates with Nagari Tanjung Alai for the Dragon Fruit Chips Project

Padang, July 30, 2024 – The Chemical Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Universitas Bung Hatta, has established a collaboration with the Nagari Tanjung Alai, Solok Regency, marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of a village project on dragon fruit chip production. The signing ceremony took place at the Nagari Office of Tanjung Alai, Solok Regency, on July 30, 2024.

The event was attended by Prof. Dr. Eng. Ir. Reni Desmiarti, S.T., M.T., Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Technology; Dr. Firdaus, S.T., M.T., Head of the Chemical Engineering Study Program; Amelia Amir,S.Si., M.Si., Ph.D., Secretary of the Study Program; Rina Wati, Head of Administration of the Faculty of Industrial Technology; Yurdam, S.E., the Wali Nagari (Village Head) of Tanjung Alai; and the village officials of Tanjung Alai.

During the event, Dr. Firdaus, Head of the Chemical Engineering Study Program, expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome extended by the Tanjung Alai village administration to the Chemical Engineering team from Universitas Bung Hatta. He mentioned that students participating in the project would stay in the village for four months, engaging in various activities until the dragon fruit processing goals are achieved.

He also encouraged the students to uphold the university’s reputation and emphasized the importance of mutual support and cooperation from both the village officials and the local community to ensure the project’s success.

At the same event, Prof. Dr. Eng. Ir. Reni Desmiarti, S.T., M.T., Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Technology, explained that this activity is part of the Thematic Community Service Learning Program (KKN-PPM(T)), which is a component of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) initiative. The KKN-PPM(T) or Village Development Program carries a credit equivalence of 13 semester credit units (SKS).

The village project aims to process dragon fruit into chips using a freeze dryer machine, with raw materials supplied by the Tanjung Alai community and the production process managed at the university. Seeing the abundance of dragon fruit during harvest season, the project was designed as a solution to reduce waste and increase product value, Prof. Reni explained.

She further mentioned that the initiative was proposed through the Merdeka Campus Competition Program (PKKM) and was approved by the government, designating Nagari Tanjung Alai as a partner village. Through this program, the village obtained a freeze dryer machine for dragon fruit chip production. “The process is not easy,” Prof. Reni stated. “It takes several trials to find the right composition that meets market standards. The goal is to produce a marketable product that complies with the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) standards, without preservatives, and includes proper composition and halal labeling.”

Meanwhile, Yurdam, S.E., Wali Nagari of Tanjung Alai, expressed his appreciation and optimism for the collaboration. He mentioned that Tanjung Alai has around 60 to 70 hectares of dragon fruit plantations, with 12 hectares currently in production. He shared his vision for Tanjung Alai to become a more independent and progressive village by the end of his term in 2026, with the dragon fruit chip project as one of its key milestones.

MoU Link : https://drive.google.com/file/d/18FqVho9Rm2xXaPv17DQoaTVN3PfT0zRM/view?usp=drive_link