The Siak Regency Government encourages people to use idle land to plant Casesa or more commonly known poison sweet potatoes.
Now poison sweet potato is a prima donna commodity developed in Siak district, Riau province. This poison sweet potato is used as a raw material for tapioca flour, a mixture of pulp to make paper.
Regent Siak Alfedri when visiting Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) Al-Wathaniyah in Tualang village, Tualang sub-district, said that the cultivation of poisonous sweet potatoes is a promising business because the factory needs for this sweet potato are quite high.
“If you look at the results, it could reach Rp. 60 million per hectare. So in essence, planting this yam can increase income for the foundation’s operations,” said Alfedri, in Tualang.
The Regent also explained that the initial planting of Casesa yams under the guidance of the National Zakat Agency of Siak Regency is a Prosperous Siak program. The method, BAZNAS Siak, provides productive business capital for the cultivation of the sweet potato.
“We don’t just have to help, there are farmer groups, educational institutions that have submitted assistance to BAZNAS. In essence, it is to help improve the economy of the people,” he concluded.
The chairman of the Alwatoniah Khairuddin Foundation thanked Baznas Siak for caring and helping, planting sweet potatoes on an area of 4.5 hectares.
The land to be planted with sweet potatoes is located next to the school, he hopes that with the presence of the Regent Alfedri there will be assistance for his school.
“We are grateful to BAZnas and the Regent, who have attended this school. We hope that the regent will help us to build classrooms through CSR funds,” he hoped.
At first, the planting program was started, but due to rain, the Regent’s first planting was replaced by handing over the sweet potato seeds to the foundation management.
The event was carried out by implementing the COVID-19 health protocol. There were members of the council from the election of Tualang sub-district, camat, village heads, and Tualang community leaders.
