CENTRAL JAVA – The recent drastic drop in vegetable prices has caused many farmers in East Semarang to suffer losses. In fact, some farmers are forced to throw away their crops because they are not absorbed by the market. Responding to this phenomenon, on Sunday (09/03/2025), Dompet Dhuafa Central Java together with the Sayur Berkah community took the initiative to buy farmers’ crops in large quantities to be distributed free of charge to people in need.
This free vegetable distribution activity took place in the morning at Permata Majapahit Housing, East Semarang. The distribution was met with great enthusiasm from the local residents. A total of 150 packages of fresh vegetables, consisting of cabbage, mustard greens, pakcoy, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and various other types of vegetables, were distributed to the surrounding community. The distribution took place in an orderly manner with the involvement of volunteers from Dompet Dhuafa and the Sayur Berkah community who helped in distributing vegetable packages to residents who had queued since morning.
The decline in vegetable prices at the farm level is not in line with the high market prices, partly due to the high distribution costs from villages to cities. This condition makes it difficult for farmers to sell their crops at a decent price. Therefore, Dompet Dhuafa Central Java together with the Sayur Berkah community tried to overcome this problem by buying and distributing vegetables to the community. That way, the benefits can be felt by more people. This program is also a solution so that the abundant harvest is not wasted, but can be used by those in need.
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Dompet Dhuafa Central Java Branch Manager, Zaini Tafrikan explained that this program was carried out thanks to the support of donors who had donated their money to help farmers and the community. He also hopes that similar activities can continue and involve more parties so that the impact is wider.
“Through this program, we want to help farmers to continue to get income from their crops and at the same time provide benefits to people in need,” he said.
The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude for the assistance. Noerhayati, one of the local residents, admitted that she was greatly helped by this free vegetable distribution. Other residents also conveyed the same thing and appreciated the concern of Dompet Dhuafa and the Sayur Berkah community in helping them in the midst of rising prices of basic necessities.
“Thank you to Dompet Dhuafa Central Java donors who have chosen our location to share free vegetables. Alhamdulillah, it is very useful and the residents are very happy,” he said.
In addition to helping farmers and the community, this program is also an inspiration for various other communities to participate in similar social activities. Dompet Dhuafa Central Java hopes that this movement can mobilize more parties to support the welfare of farmers while meeting the food needs of underprivileged communities.
With programs like this, it is hoped that there will be a more sustainable long-term solution in addressing the inequality in the price of agricultural products and food distribution.
This activity is clear evidence that collaboration between social institutions, communities and donors can have a positive impact on many parties. In addition to helping farmers affected by the price decline, this action also ensures that the harvest is not wasted and can ease the burden on the community in meeting their food needs.
In the future, Dompet Dhuafa Central Java will develop similar actions in other areas with a broader concept, including empowering farmers through training and mentoring so that they can increase the bargaining power of their agricultural products in the market. Therefore, support and assistance from the community and donors are highly expected so that these benefits can become more widespread because Sharing, Coolness No Drugs. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: Riza Muthohar, DD Central Java
Editor: Dhika