Gunungkidul, DI Yogyakarta – Efforts to strengthen the independence of smallholder farmers through collaboration between cooperatives and corporations continue to expand. The Lembaga Pemberdayaan Ekonomi Rakyat (LPER) Producers Cooperative and PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia Tbk (JAPFA) are actively developing broiler farming in Gunungkidul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta.

The partnership was further strengthened through the Realization and Strengthening Ceremony of the Cooperation Partnership between LPER Cooperative and PT JAPFA Comfeed Indonesia on Thursday (3/9/2026), which recorded a realized population of approximately 1.073 million broiler chickens.

The event, held at Broiler Sehat in Jetis, Pampang, Paliyan, Gunungkidul, was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Cooperatives, Gunungkidul Regency Government, the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), and poultry industry players.

Chairman of the LPER Producers Cooperative, H. Mulyadi Atma, said in his remarks that cooperation between cooperatives and corporations is one solution to addressing the various challenges faced by smallholder farmers, particularly high production costs and unstable poultry commodity prices.

According to him, farmers need a business model capable of providing certainty while improving competitiveness. Through partnerships, cooperatives and corporations can complement one another with the shared goal of strengthening farmers’ position within the poultry industry value chain.

“Cooperatives and corporations are not meant to compete with one another, but rather to sit together and strengthen each other. The challenge is how to ensure that farmers remain profitable when production costs and market prices fluctuate,” Mulyadi said.

Currently, the LPER Cooperative oversees approximately 5,111 smallholder farmers across 17 provinces, with a population of around 18 million broiler chickens and 12 million layer chickens. The partnership with JAPFA represents one of the cooperative’s efforts to expand its partnership network, which is expected to continue growing.

Under the partnership scheme, each party plays a mutually supportive role. Smallholder farmers are responsible for providing poultry house infrastructure and operational labor. Meanwhile, JAPFA provides support in the form of high-quality Day-Old Chicks (DOC), technical assistance for farming practices, and downstream support through the absorption of production output.

On the downstream side, JAPFA also ensures that farmers’ harvests can be absorbed through the company’s Poultry Slaughterhouse (RPHU) facilities. Meanwhile, the LPER Cooperative serves as a bridge between farmers and business partners, while also acting as a driving force in strengthening farming communities. Through the cooperative, farmers are expected to gain broader access to technical assistance, business networks, and business development opportunities.

Speaking on the same occasion, Rachmat Indrajaya, Director of Corporate Affairs at JAPFA, said that the partnership with the LPER Cooperative reflects the company’s commitment to supporting the growth of smallholder farmers. According to him, the development of the poultry sector requires not only increased production but also a stronger ecosystem from upstream to downstream.

“Through this collaboration, JAPFA provides access to high-quality DOC, technical assistance, and ensures that farmers’ production can be absorbed by the market. We want smallholder farmers to grow together within a stronger supply chain, supported by clear responsibilities among the company, cooperative, and farmers,” Rachmat said.

The government considers partnership models such as this to be an important strategy for strengthening national food security, particularly in ensuring the availability of animal protein. This was conveyed by Harry Suhada, Director of Breeding and Livestock Production at the Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture.

“The industry and smallholder farmers must be able to grow together. Through partnerships, access to production facilities, technical assistance, and market certainty will help improve farmers’ productivity and business sustainability.”

A similar view was expressed by the Regent of Gunungkidul through the representative of the Head of the Gunungkidul Cooperative Office, Supartono. The regional government welcomed the collaboration between the cooperative and the company, considering it capable of strengthening the economic foundation of farmers while supporting food availability in the region.

“We hope this cooperation will become a concrete step toward supporting food sovereignty and positioning smallholder farmers as partners in providing national animal protein. Partnerships such as this could serve as a model that can be implemented in other regions where LPER members are located,” Supartono concluded.

With a realized population of more than 1 million broiler chickens, this synergy is expected not only to increase production scale but also to create more economically independent farmers through the implementation of good farming management practices, production efficiency, and more secure market access.

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