Inaugurating OPOP South Kalimantan Expo 2022, Vice President Affirms Islamic Boarding Schools Must Be Offtakers

Banjarbaru, wapresri.go.id – Efforts to empower the pesantren-based (Islamic boarding school) economy are a form of responsibility fulfillment by Muslims in prospering the earth. These efforts can be done in various aspects such as industry, mining, trade agriculture, and one of which is through the One Pesantren One Product (OPOP) program. Hence, pesantren must be able to become offtakers so that the OPOP program can continue to produce its best products, especially in an effort to prosper the earth and stimulate the development of the community’s economic sector.

“Offtakers, make products, buy, sell, so that the production process continues. I think this is what we want to build,” said Vice President (VP) K.H. Ma’ruf Amin when opening the One Pesantren One Product South Kalimantan Expo 2022 event at dr. Murjani Banjarbaru, Jalan Comet Raya, North Loktabat, North Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, Thursday (11/08/2022).

Furthermore, the VP said, apart from being an offtaker, pesantren must also be a liaison between business actors and the market so that community empowerment can run in a sustainable manner.

“I ask the pesantren to become a hamzah washl, as a link for agricultural products, plantations. Then processed (the products), semi-finished downstream, then sold both domestically and abroad,” said the VP.
For this reason, the VP emphasized that there should be no unused land and energy. Because Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has also ordered in the Qur’an that humans can use the earth to be prospered well.
This, he continued, is also in accordance with the meaning of celebrating the 77th Indonesian Independence Day this year.

“So we call it “Recover faster, Rise Stronger” than before. Therefore, Insya Allah (God willing), we will be able to overcome the challenges if all elements, including pesantren, take a role so that pesantren can be independent and not be a burden to others,” urged the VP.

Closing his remarks, the VP also advised that the OPOP South Kalimantan Expo 2022 program could be an inspiration for the development of OPOP in other areas. Thus, the independence of the people and the benefits for the community can be felt properly.

“I invite all of us to enliven the OPOP Kalimantan Expo 2022. Hopefully, the South Kalimantan OPOP Program will not only open up opportunities for developing Islamic boarding schools in the future, but also inspire and echoing the development of the OPOP program throughout Kalimantan, even in other regions of Indonesia,” the VP said.

“We hope that starting from this program, it will truly create the economic independence of the pesantren and benefit the people,” he concluded.
Previously, the Governor of South Kalimantan, Sahbirin Noor, conveyed the support of the South Kalimantan government in making the OPOP program a success.

He also hopes that this effort can encourage all Islamic boarding schools in South Kalimantan to compete to produce the best products.

“Hopefully with the launch and celebration of OPOP, Islamic boarding schools will compete to produce high-ranking products,” Junaidi hoped.

Also present at this event were the Chairman of the DPRD for the Province of South Kalimantan H. Supian HK, the Mayor of Banjarbaru M. Aditya Mufti Ariffin and Mrs. Vivi Mar’i Zubedi Ariffin, the Chairperson of the Indonesian Islamic Boarding School Association of South Kalimantan Province M. Mukri Yunus and the participants of the OPOP South Kalimantan Expo 2022.

Meanwhile, the VP was accompanied by Mrs. Hj. Wury Ma’ruf Amin, Head of the Secretariat of the Vice President Ahmad Erani Yustika, Deputy for Human Development Policy Support and Development Equity Suprayoga Hadi, Special Staff for the Vice President Masduki Baidlowi, and Muhammad Imam Aziz, Experts Team for the Vice President Johan Tedja Surya and Farhat Brachma. (NN/LHS-BPMI, Setwapres)